The Bwog
Making Your Vote Count

In Brooklyn, Bwog editor Zach van Schouwen extemporizes on electioneering, and inadvertently gets disenfranchised.

The lines weren't terribly long by 8 AM at P.S. 110 in Greenpoint, where a few disheveled hipsters joined the contingent of elderly Polish men to cast a vote for one or more candidates. Stumbling blindly around the outside of the school, we eventually found the one door, with a sign on the inside, noting where the polling place was.

Having made my choice, I headed for the L train to make my morning classes. Reading some blogs in lecture hall, however, revealed a disconcerting fact (which reveals my party affiliation): Apparently, if you're a Democrat and you want to vote for a candidate's whole slate of delegates, you have to check multiple boxes in the same column, and not just the one next to the candidate's name. OK, actually, we've heard a correction, and you don't have to vote down the delegate column, contrary to many people's beliefs. I'm proud to have had the chance cast 1/8th of a vote for America's future, though.

Columbia students looking to vote a little closer to campus, here's the skinny (because Jeebus knows NYC's voting information website isn't much help): in general, Columbia students' polling station is Lerner Hall (the west entrance, on Broadway below the revolving doors) Wien lounge, although New York isn't offering same day registration, so if you haven't already signed up you're out of luck. Polls close at 9PM, and you need your voter registration card or a photo ID.

SUPER-DUPER BONUS: In the Lerner Piano Lounge, the College Democrats and Republicans are co-sponsoring a primary watching party (with free pizza) that starts at 8. More to come.

Posted by Sherry: #1 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 2:36 PM
I voted at the same place just before 7 am, and DAMN, why didn't anyone say anything about the delegates? The instructions inside the booth were confusing.
Posted by ZvS: #2 (in reply to #1) · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 2:43 PM (from campus)
Howdy, neighbor. There may be a correction pending on the delegate issue -- sources I've asked since writing this up have disagreed. It's possible we're not as disenfranchised as it seems.
Posted by XJE: #3 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 2:53 PM (from campus)
I used 72 Morningside Drive as my address, and my polling place is Wien (though the Board of Elections spelled it incorrectly as Wein).
Posted by Actually: #4 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 3:04 PM (from campus)
I just voted at 113th, and I did not need a voter registration card OR an ID.

Way to go, America.

I voted for all the delegates, but I find it confusing that I apparently could have pulled the levers for a Republican or Democrat, even though I am a Democrat. If I had voted for a Republican, would my vote have been counted? Should I have seized the chance to vote for Mitt Romney because I think he has a lower chance of winning the national office?
Posted by alexw: #5 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 3:13 PM (from campus)
Clinton
Posted by alexw: #6 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 3:14 PM (from campus)
(hearts)
Posted by alexw: #7 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 3:14 PM (from campus)
War
Posted by nope: #8 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 3:38 PM (from campus)
You can only vote for your registered party. Before you go into the booth, the monitor pushes a lever and it locks the buttons for the other party. If you had tried to vote for the other party, you would have found that you were unable to check any of the boxes for that party.
Posted by Disturbing: #9 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 4:51 PM
AN primary watching party? Yikes.
Posted by Diddy: #10 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 5:50 PM (from campus)
If you don't vote, I'll slit your throat. Then you won't have a voice.
Posted by You're just bitter: #11 (in reply to #10) · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 8:18 PM (from campus)
because Jennifer left you for a white guy.
Posted by Alumna: #12 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 8:23 PM
I just voted on Long Island - Nassau County to be exact. I also didn't need to show any ID (WTF?!), but did have to sign next to my name in book of listed democrats. They also separated the dems from the gop for both sign in and voting booth usage, so my booth only had dems as an option.

Why were so many candidates who are no longer running still options on the ballot (Edwards, Kucinich, etc etc etc)?
Posted by Yeah!: #13 · reply · track
February 5, 2008 at 10:12 PM (from campus)
And why did so many clueless people still vote for Edwards?
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