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Today's Poll: Are you voting today?

By Howard B. Owens
Kyle Couchman

My voting place is 400 Towers..... Out of curiosity did anyone have issues with voting today here. I had to void out 2 ballots due to the voting machine not being able to read my votes, mostly due to bleedthrough of the sharpie markers. I suggested a black pen but they said the markers worked fine last year? I started to get annoyed as the lady casually remarked that if the third time didnt work I wouldn't be able to vote. That put me in such a foul mood that I didnt even bother getting an applesauce bread at the bake sale table.

I am ok as the third time it went through after 2 more tries but I can see a potential for error here that makes me uncomfortable.

Nov 5, 2013, 1:13pm Permalink
Gale Conn-Wright

I too noticed the bleed through, fortunately my ballot went through fine the first time. Though I have to wonder how anyone would know if the votes were read ~correctly~.... I still believe the machines we once used were the most accurate.

Nov 5, 2013, 1:22pm Permalink
John Simmons

The Bored of erections sent me the location of my polling place a few months ago so I knew where I was voting & YES, they need to stop fixing things that are NOT broken & bring back the mechanical machines that worked every time & not have any "bleed thru" or DUMBASS people telling me that I can't vote because they screwed up the process. I even went to a different line when I was voting in the past when we used the machines, they would know how you voted because the numbers were in consecutive order & you were supposed to go into a line in that order, but a bunch of us milled around & went in a different order so they'd never know in a million years how or for whom we voted.. lol

Nov 5, 2013, 5:45pm Permalink
John Simmons

(That put me in such a foul mood that I didnt even bother getting an applesauce bread at the bake sale table.)

I never buy any of that stuff because it is usually stale, I used to joke around & say that it was there from the last time they had a voting erection & IT gets stored in the court secretaries underwear drawer anyway.. & some dude took offense to that & started hollering at me because he thought I was serious.. DOH!!!

Nov 5, 2013, 5:26pm Permalink
david spaulding

Gale, I was thinking the same thing, I wonder if my vote did in fact get counted correctly... I was behind a guy who had to redo his ballot because the machine would not recognize it.......
I for one, do not trust the new scanner machines, as with all electronics, there is room for fraud....can probably be done with a cell phone..

Nov 5, 2013, 6:46pm Permalink
Mark Janofsky

I just came from voting at the senior center. They're saying that the "I Voted Today" stickers are good for $5.00 at Batavia Downs slots. As we are voting on a proposition for gambling, I would think that constitutes electioneering.

Nov 5, 2013, 7:02pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Well that was something I was not told at my polling center. So now the election committee is promoting gambling? Not surprise the New York Government would try such a tactic. I voted no anyways. Casinos are not a priority for the State of New York. Hmmm, let’s think about this, New York places high taxes on its citizens; hands out welfare like candy; burdens taxpayers with the Thruway Toll; violates your Constitutional Rights and now they want to lure you in with Casinos to take what little money you have left. All with the promise it will be used for education and social services. Let’s not forget the numerous owners, politicians and contractors who will line their pockets with green. How many actually win more than they put in at the Casinos? I am still trying to win the lotto and spend more than I ever won.

Nov 5, 2013, 9:09pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Know what you mean Kyle. Amazing instead of giving your suggestion a thought they went with the "DILLIGAF" and/or the "FOCUS" answers. Common sense once again is stomped by ignorance.

Nov 5, 2013, 9:13pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Johnny what about the government's super secret surveillance cameras installed in those past and current machines? LMAO

Nov 5, 2013, 9:44pm Permalink
Robert Brown

For what it's worth, go to the NY Gaming site and study the payback percentages for scratch offs, lotteries, and VLTs. Scratch offs are the worst investment and I believe NY has an even lower scratch off payback percentage than most states in the nation!

Don't get me started on contributions to education - even if we were investing more in education because of state run gaming we'd still not move the needle on results as it's not the money, it's the system.

I voted NO on Proposition 1 for many reasons. I'm sure the proposition will pass anyway and the 7 approved casinos (4 initially) will be run by private approved owners who will provide a portion of their profits to the state. I doubt that money flow to the state is going to improve education. It hasn't happened with the NYS Lottery for over 40 years, so why would anyone expect this ploy will help?

Nov 6, 2013, 1:27am Permalink
barb king

I use the same "milling around" tactic when I shop at Tops. You can't imagine the chaos it causes at the deli counter. Take that Big Brother.

Nov 6, 2013, 2:08am Permalink
tom hunt

I am appalled at the number of people I know, supposedly intellegent people, who acknowledge that they don't vote or have never voted in their lives. I cosider it a priveledge...no an obligation, to vote. I really can't fathom why honest citizens of the USA don't feel the same way.

Nov 6, 2013, 8:43am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Bob, I also voted no to prop 1. It passed overwhelmingly. On the radio yesterday, I heard Bauerle saying the same thing as you about public education. It's constantly claimed that it's underfunded and has always claimed it to be. No matter how much money the state takes in, it will always say it has a deficit...the same ol' BS forever.

Nov 6, 2013, 7:53am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Well, I "bet" a lot of "I voted" stickers were reused by more than one person at the casino. The voter turnout was abysmal. It's pretty sad when I hear so many people complain about the state of affairs and then few of them turn up to vote. It's PATHETIC! There are way more issues and offices to vote on, that impact your wallet and your rights than the presidential election. C'mon, people, you have more power with your vote than you know. If you don't vote and choose instead to sit in your recliner being a lazy f***, you should just stfu and move to Canada or Mexico or Cuba...wherever...just go.

Nov 6, 2013, 3:03pm Permalink

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