Scenes From A Poll: Hyde Park

Location: Trinity Academy

Time: 7:45am

This is my polling place, even though I don't live in Hyde Park anymore. And because I don't live in Hyde Park anymore, I had to fill out a mess of forms, show proof of my new address, and get bounced around to a few people before I could vote. It's no big deal; even though the first few people helping me were unfamiliar with the exact process for “inactive” voters, we eventually got it done, and I'm satisfactorily sure that my ballot will count. With that said; the disorganization is indeed staggering, and I'm grateful that there were only about 25 folks in line with me.

I'm no election law attorney, but I'm pretty sure this sign ain't supposed to be here

Trinity is usually a steady polling hub, not to mention where the mayor votes (I assume, at least, since he lives three houses from my old apartment). Today was no different, though I suppose it was a bit busier than usual. By the time I bounced at just after 8am, a little more than 400 people had cast ballots, with about another 20 hanging around, waiting to pump their cards through the machine. Compared to other places, where there have been awful lines since polls opened, I get the impression that my old neighbors in Hyde Park have one of the more organized outfits around, which is actually a bit frightening.