Polling Places Post Voting
A view of polling places that is rarely seen
Amber Myers
Issue date: 11/10/08 Section: Election night
It’s that time of year again. The time of year when everyone is walking into their assigned polling places, hoping that the lever they push down makes a difference. Hoping the people in line with them are choosing that same lever.
Walking into a polling place after 8:00 pm is a completely different experience. Imagine walking into a large school auditorium, the only people left are the people in charge of the polling. Nine people, three behind each of the tables set up in front of the empty stage with red, white in blue colored lights, hinting at the earlier excitement over the election.
The feelings of hope and excitement are now being replaced by anxiety and restlessness. Each person is now pacing, waiting for 9:00 pm so they can get this grueling day over with. “Most of these people have been here all day, since probably around 5:30 or 6:00am” says Debra Hedin, 47 of Stillwater, New York. Hedin volunteered to help out at a polling place in a local election in 2007, she feels their pain.
Finally it is 9:00 pm, the pacing stops; it’s time to read off the results for these three Albany County districts. The excitement has suddenly returns.
A man walks into the first of three voting booths and starts yelling out the results, “Row 1, A, Obama – 110. B, McCain - 1.” He moves to booth two “Row 1, A, Obama -202. B, McCain – 7.” He now goes into the final booth Obama – 261, McCain 12.
After placing all of the results in envelopes and sending them off everyone finally can go home, but it’s not over yet. The excitement on their faces turns to wonder, do our results reflect that of the whole state of New York? Better yet, do they reflect the results of the country?
Yes they do, Obama won New York by 1,783,992 votes. Democrat Barack Obama beat Republican John McCain in the race to the white house, 349 electoral votes to 163.
As 2pac would say “things will never be the same” the United States of American has elected our first African American President. President Elect Obama says it best "I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you."
Walking into a polling place after 8:00 pm is a completely different experience. Imagine walking into a large school auditorium, the only people left are the people in charge of the polling. Nine people, three behind each of the tables set up in front of the empty stage with red, white in blue colored lights, hinting at the earlier excitement over the election.
The feelings of hope and excitement are now being replaced by anxiety and restlessness. Each person is now pacing, waiting for 9:00 pm so they can get this grueling day over with. “Most of these people have been here all day, since probably around 5:30 or 6:00am” says Debra Hedin, 47 of Stillwater, New York. Hedin volunteered to help out at a polling place in a local election in 2007, she feels their pain.
Finally it is 9:00 pm, the pacing stops; it’s time to read off the results for these three Albany County districts. The excitement has suddenly returns.
A man walks into the first of three voting booths and starts yelling out the results, “Row 1, A, Obama – 110. B, McCain - 1.” He moves to booth two “Row 1, A, Obama -202. B, McCain – 7.” He now goes into the final booth Obama – 261, McCain 12.
After placing all of the results in envelopes and sending them off everyone finally can go home, but it’s not over yet. The excitement on their faces turns to wonder, do our results reflect that of the whole state of New York? Better yet, do they reflect the results of the country?
Yes they do, Obama won New York by 1,783,992 votes. Democrat Barack Obama beat Republican John McCain in the race to the white house, 349 electoral votes to 163.
As 2pac would say “things will never be the same” the United States of American has elected our first African American President. President Elect Obama says it best "I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you."
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