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Long waits during final day of early voting
Monday, November 03, 2008
DAYTON — Waiting times for early voting at the Montgomery County Board of Elections offices were nearly 3 hours at noon Monday, Nov. 3, with no let-up in sight, officials there said.
Early voting ends Monday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Montgomery County Administration Building, 451 W. Third St. The polls will open Tuesday, Election Day, at 6:30 a.m. in all counties.
Waiting areas in the county building have been set up on the first floor, the mezzanine floor and in the auditorium in the basement.
"We're getting nothing but compliments on the process, about how organized it is," said Steve Harsman, director of the Montgomery Board of Elections. "Voters are not losing their patience or growing frustrated."
The early rush to vote should ease things at the polls on Election Day, Harsman said. "I would expect waits to be a half-hour to 45 minutes, and it could be considerably less" during off-peak times.
The heaviest voting is before work, at lunch time and after work, he said. The polls will remain open until 7:30 p.m. in all counties.
Steve Ritsch drove from New Lebanon with his wife and daughter to vote Sunday. Although they waited 31/2 hours, they spent some of that time walking around downtown looking at the architecture. Voters are given a ticket number as they enter the waiting area.
"It's been a great experience," Ritsch said. "They did a really good job of keeping people under control. People seem excited about being down here to exercise democracy. It's kind of like a party."
Some of the first-time voters were a bit wide-eyed at the frenzy.
"It was hectic to say the least," said Matt Boston, a 20-year-old University of Dayton student. Boston, who came to vote with his mother and brother on Sunday, doubted he'd have time between classes on Tuesday. He didn't mind the wait.
"It's a new experience," he said looking at the crowd.
"It was all right to me," said Brandon Young, another 20-year-old first-timer. "The waiting wasn't too bad."
And the experience?
"It feels good," he said. "It feels good to have some input."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2393 or kmccall@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or jdebrosse@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Comments
By Ann
November 3, 2008 8:46 PM | Link to this
I voted by absentie ballot. I delivered it in person to the Montgomery County Board of Elections. I think early voting is a disaster waiting to happen, especially since the Ohio Secretary of State is not truly assisting the Ohio Counties by checking and verifying every voter is legal to vote. I hope we have a fair election and every vote counts.
By chris
November 3, 2008 5:20 PM | Link to this
you guys are lucky,,even early voting (two weeks ago in georgia) took three hours,, but everyone was eager and kind to each other talking and laughing so it did not seem like a long time,just hope it goes as I voted OBAMA
By Jude
November 3, 2008 2:42 PM | Link to this
Wake up Ohio!!!!
Obama says his plan will “bankrupt the coal industry” and electric rates will “Skyrocket”—Ohio Voters should recognize the benefits of coal to their pocketbook and quality of life. Coal : (1) Provides 85% of the Ohio’s Electricity. (2) Has Kept Ohio’s Electric Rates 14% Below the US Average. (3) Provides 12,000 coal based jobs, $484 million in income and $1.4 billion in economic output. And (4) Coal Comes from Ohio. Over 60% or our oil is imported from Foreign Nations and natural gas imports will soon follow under Obama’s plan. The risk is great —Russia, Iran, and Venezuela have 46% of the Natural Gas. Ohioans benefit from coal and the electricity it delivers at far lower than average prices.
By Instructor08
November 3, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
I voted yesterday. Even though it took 2 hours, it was by far smoother than I ever imagined. Poll workers were very pleasant and voters were in a good spirits without any regard or impatience for the length of time it took. Thank you Board of Elections!! You did a Fantastic Job!! Just one more Day!! You can feel the change coming in the air!
By Theresa
November 3, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this
We were there yesterday, my niece, my mother and I. We waited 4 hours to vote. And they’re right, no was getting upset things took so long. My mother has to go out of town unexpectedly this week, so it wasn’t an option to leave and try our luck on Tuesday. It was worth the wait. Now I can’t wait for Wednesday’s results!
By RM25483
November 3, 2008 7:55 AM | Link to this
I voted Absentee a few weeks ago, and I highly recommend it. My wife and I sat down and were able to read both sides of each issue and candidate ( from local to national ) online and compare what we found to what was written in the ballots. The wording in the ballots is often intentionally misleading or too vague to be useful in making a decision, so it is very useful to be able to look things up on the fly. I suggest you consider doing the same next time.
By Sherry
November 3, 2008 7:52 AM | Link to this
Yes, I used the “voting early form” and mailed my vote the other week. I didn’t want to have to worry about long lines. Just hope my vote doesn’t get lost or destroyed “somehow”.
By Single Mom
November 3, 2008 7:45 AM | Link to this
Yes, I voted on Friday. It took a little over an hour, so it really wasn’t that bad.
By early voter
November 3, 2008 7:37 AM | Link to this
we voted yesterday and waited 1 1/2 it was not at all bad it did not even feel that long. Montgomery County did a great job at keeping every one going and answering any questions that you had and for all the hours and lack of sleep they get they all had a great personality and were very kind.
By Glus
November 3, 2008 7:23 AM | Link to this
no I enjoy going to the polls on the actual day that we are supposed to vote.
By Victoria
November 3, 2008 7:15 AM | Link to this
some in my family and myself voted early. Reading all the comments from other counties, I would have to say that Montgomery county had one of the best set ups for the early vote. Sure we had a 3-4 hour wait on Saturday, but we had numbers, seating and a very organized system to get the voting done. I want to thank the board of elections for a great job!
By Michael
November 3, 2008 6:50 AM | Link to this
Yes, I did vote early. It took about 1 hour, 45 minutes. Everyone seemed pretty pleasant about it. I did it because I wasn’t sure with work Tuesday if I would have enough time.
I think we need to make sure in future elections that we offer more early voting hours, especially nights and weekends.