What, it’s election day. Time to vote. If you can.
Now that the recount requests are (largely) in, can you say your man Hovde, it’s a good time to make a final stab at what happened on election day. And give it time, there are likely to be more legal challenges.
Come tomorrow. If tomorrow comes.
But for now, I take you back to the Monday before the Tuesday where it all counted, and got counted, at least the first time. Early voting had just expired, for in-person absentee, on Sunday. I went over to City Hall to cast my ballot, only to be told by a clerk behind a window in a strangely quiet downtown building that they didn’t take these here anymore. I’d have to go over to the mega-new, mega-big fire station on the other end of town, a hub that replaced the fire station that had been right across a small side street, to go maga or finding that morbid and checking off on a different persuasion with a check mark.
Different districts in the city, each with more than one ward in which to show his word, sent you scurrying to many different places to vote. Whether in Old Hudson, or New Hudson up on The Hill and south, or North Hudson or eastward toward the town of Hudson, roughly along these geographic area lines.
But back to city hall … A woman in back of me was told to come back tomorrow — to the fire station — but added as she was walking back to her car that she works a full business day in the far Twin Cities and has a long commute, so she is frozen out of voting. She had taken this day off just to vote, but now it is late afternoon and time was waning. Her ballot if allowed as such would not arrive in the mail in time, anyway, and I had wondered aloud, if she mailed in with a Minnesota postmark, would it be valid?
So my real election day that would show something actually accomplished began Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the town of Hudson precinct level, all 14 of them. All hands were on for this set of races, which by all accounts brought on a high, steady turnout, and the counting area was cordoned off with a rope-like police line before the tale of the tape would be done and tape ripped off the floor, to show more such divisions as to where you could go, and there appeared to be an extra long set of instructions to the more than two dozen ballot counters, a process that frankly seemed a little disorganized.
When the names and their tallies were read off to me and one other observer, and my hat and not just observer sign, as was written in small letters on my pocket were telltale signs, that I was with the Associated Press, the numbers came at us and the second tallier quickly and it was a mad dash to get them all down. As it was, and this shows the danger of putting too much stock into early totals, there was after all my further calculations required to gain totals from various wards, that would have to all be added up, a segment I missed calling in, but those numbers self-corrected once I go to my main county government center building. My next election night stop.
The place, which also houses the county jail, had been under construction, and now that it’s nearing completion I didn’t even recognize the interior. The deputy dejour who checked me in actually gave me a tour of the whole new digs. Where I was told to take a seat, next to one of the only two of the smallest of tables to write on, it looked alien. The new county clerk’s office was bigger, with smaller offices that were off at an angle and you couldn’ see the activity inside. When people finally traipsed out, past an old mural that showed Old School election workers processing papers, I thought maybe the time to finish is near. But there still was that one straggler precinct, one of the bigger ones.
I told the deputy that of what was left in my pocket, I was hiding illicit contraband that I was going to bury in the nearby bathroom. He laughed and said that’s one he had not heard.
I added to a clerk who skipped, briefly, for the john, you have important work to do, I can’t imagine you took time away. (Didn’t say pee.)
Finally at around 1 a.m. everything was counted, and I told the deputy that couldn’t leave until all was accounted for, that this wasn’t bad, as in earlier days names and numbers were scrawled on a chalkboard and a presidential election could go to 4 a.m.
So off to go, through a second secured area. It should be noted that this was not the the only voting site affected by construction, as County A going back by the town hall had been closed so kitty-korner across the way a round-about could be installed. Road work was put on hiatus right before election night.
Even the voting rules you abide may be confusing — or at least when showing where to go. You may have to investigate where and when you can return your mail absentee ballot at your clerk’s office, polling place or absentee counting location. They must be received by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, in spite of any possible mail postponements, although you can track your ballot at myvote.wis.gov, except for Georgia locations. Just kidding.
The League of Women voters suggest you verify the source and date before you share information, (not that from Russia or other lands, once removed?), question the content, (like Harris adding $7.3 trillion to our national debt), never click, quote, or state in words the wrong info as it gives it traction, or engage with it publicly, rather ask that they take it down privately, (like so many purported stances on crime and the economy, such as the idea that the average American’s personal interest rose by nearly 400 percent. Cherry-picking figures? And yes average taxes dropped, but for which tier?)
A flyer by the Dems showed two children, too young to vote, walking arm and arm, and suggested scanning your weird square figure to find your polling location, or on election day contacting the central court in your area depending on your municipality (sound arduous?) Do we somewhere just have f—– drop boxes? Or wait they can be burned even if made of metal. Or can tinge a person’s signature so it looks like Jo Winte.
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