Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Let there be snark.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Infrastructure week. at last.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

This blog will pay for itself.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

This really is a full service blog.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2014 / Election Day Open Thread

Reader Interactions

427Comments

  2. 2.

    david miller

    Mailed my ballot in last week, Oregon voter. It’s insane that other states haven’t adopted vote by mail, in my opinion.

  5. 5.

    etc.

    Oregon, older white guy, vote by mail, not asked for ID, they just mailed me a ballot. Among other things, I was able to vote to make pot legal.

  6. 6.

    gogol's wife

    Connecticut, will vote in a couple of hours, but I know they always ask me for ID. I tried to protest last time and they almost threw me out. I’m just going along quietly this time because I really need to vote.

  11. 11.

    JMG

    Lexington, Mass., white, older, not asked for ID since I knew several of the polling workers. No one else asked for ID, either.

  12. 12.

    MikeBoyScout

    Washington state, where we vote by mail.
    Ballot submitted 2 weeks ago and verified received.

  14. 14.

    Valdivia

    DC–walked in, I had my old voter registration because they didn’t send me this year’s. No problem.

  15. 15.

    Chris

    Florida, St. Johns County. Asked for an absentee ballot, filled it out and faxed it back last week, got confirmation of receipt afterwards.

    Wasn’t asked for ID or given any of the equivalent trouble for people mailing from overseas. Then again, my dad’s made a point of getting to know a person in the elections office precisely because he lives overseas and wants to be able to have someone to call in case anything ever does go wrong. Without the family connection, don’t know if they’d have given me more trouble.

    (Oh yes, and I’m white).

  17. 17.

    Elizabelle

    Virginia, voted absentee in person Saturday; asked 2 times, maybe 3 for my ID. (Took my passport and voter reg card.)

    White. They looked hard at the passport, since they’re used to people handing over a driver’s license. (Mine is from another state; need to update it one of these days… like this month.)

  18. 18.

    munira

    I live in Quebec and I’m a duel citizen. I vote in Washington state, the last place I lived in the US. I downloaded my ballot from the Internet and emailed it in weeks ago. When I vote in Canada, I do have to present ID but nothing about race, of course.

  20. 20.

    evap

    Georgia, voted absentee so no ID needed (although I did have to write my driver’s license number on the application for a ballot). White.

  21. 21.

    mjj

    New Jersey (Bergen County). White. Not asked for ID and in fact I had to help point out my name in the registrars book.

  23. 23.

    Keith Kennedy

    Vermont, told them my name, verified my address, voted, bought a piece of banana cake at the United Way benefit table. White.

  25. 25.

    max

    Virginia
    There’s no early voting and the only absentee voting allowed basically requires a note from the principal.
    Going to go vote in a couple of hours.
    Whitish.

    (If they follow the same procedure they have been (we had voter ID laws last year and an election) then I’ll be required to hand them my photo ID and my registration card and then have to recite my address (including the town name that I’ll be standing in the middle of), and then they’ll frown anal retentively and probably allow me to vote. On one of those voting machines that everyone is getting rid of.)

    max
    [‘This thread will be down the list by the time I get back.’]

  26. 26.

    Redshift

    Virginia, yes, white.

    They had a poll worker out ahead of check-in (where the line would be if there was one) asking people if they had ID, because the stricter ID requirements are new this year.

    While I was handing out sample ballots, there was one guy who went in, then came out and told us he’d be back, and returned a few minutes later. I’m guessing he didn’t bring his ID. Older white guy.

  28. 28.

    big ole hound

    California, White, voted by mail, Id checked when I registered here 20 years ago. When I requested mail-in ballot my name was checked against voter rolls.

  29. 29.

    dmsilev

    Illinois, not asked for anything except my name, white.

    (Though my neighborhood is majority black, and none of my neighbors in line that I could see were being asked for anything but their name either)

  30. 30.

    Morzer

    Korea, so, you know, no voting this time around because of change of address and shipping my life across the ocean. So white I glow in the dark. Standing 6’5″ probably doesn’t harm my chances of not being asked for ID.

    I reserve the right to bitch about bad Democratic candidates and inadequate local party organizations on the grounds that both of those sad facts have been true for as long as I can remember.

    So, Cole, when are you going to seize the reins of power in WV?

  33. 33.

    WereBear

    New York, white, haven’t gone yet but haven’t been asked for ID ever over a decade. (Voted in the primary a couple months ago. Teachout!) Upstate small town.

  36. 36.

    Mr. Prosser

    Received ballot in mail October 16. Filled it out and hand returned it to ballot drop-off site at county DMV October 17. Colorado, white Danish sunscreen tester.

  39. 39.

    Russ

    New York
    No
    Even recorded my change of address with no ID, I live in the town I was born in so there’s that. Almost forgot, White.

  40. 40.

    Sherparick

    Crooks and Liars has a nice little piece amongst all the pearl clutching and talk of Republican triumphalism and Obama bashing in the MSM. http://crooksandliars.com/2014/11/retired-navy-officers-message-liberals-eve

    My own personal peeve is where have the Glenn Greenwalds, Tom Junods, Dave Sirotas, Firedoglake, etc, and their acolytes, who love bashing Obama (the drone President they call him) and the majority of Democrats about their subservience and continuation of the National Security State during the last three months for the Mark Udall and David Braley campaigns against their authoritarian and wing nut opponents. Just crickets. Udall in particular really stuck his neck out on the NSA, Guantamano, and Patriot Act issues, and apparently it is going to get cut off. I am sure this will lead to a stronger civil liberties and anti-war caucus in Congress (snark). Likewise immigrate right advocates, particularly Hispanics, will see two pro-liberalization/path to citizenship votes in the Senate replaced by two wing nut acolytes of Steve King. This will surely improve the prospects of immigration reform over the next six years.

    Final comment. The MSM will blame, at least initially, Obama for the continued dysfunction. But the real power in the Senate is Ted Cruz, who can incite a primary challenge against any Republican Senator who deviates from the Tea Party line. Ted, not Mitch McConnell, has laid out the agenda. And even Mitch is feeling a little heat because he does not know if he will be the majority leader given that the new senators will all feel more fear and loyalty toward Ted than they do about Mitch. Most Republicans are in safe districts for the general election, but know they are vulnerable to the Tea Party activists if they make any compromise with Democrats, little lone Obama. So where is their incentive to compromise and avoid confrontation? Further, the last 3 elections, for Republican house members in safe districts and Republican senators from red and purple states, demonstrate that there is no penalty from MSM or the electorate for following the Tea Party line on the economy, national security, environment (climate denialism), and immigration. Heck Susan Collins and Rob Portman are still called “moderates” even though they voted with Ted Cruz on the budget and EPA defunding. So until Republican politicians incentives change, their votes won’t. As for Democrats, hopefully Hagan scrapes by, but that will leave her and Nelson in Florida, plus the two Virginia corporate Democrats as the only Democrats in the former Confederacy. I expect Manchin may flip to Republicans (depend on how generous McConnell is) and that Orman and King may caucus with the Republicans. But on breaking filibusters, these 3 may not be the most reliable votes and the Democrats will be a more cohesive, liberal groups, particularly on energy, environmental, and civil rights issues. And I expect McConnell will soon start following Harry Reid’s policy regarding amendments when Kirk, Twomy, Ayotte, Johnson, other Republican Senators in blue and purple states complain about being made to vote on amendments on anti-LGBT, abortion rights, enviornment, labor, and minimum wage that will be unpopular in their states.

  41. 41.

    nevsky42

    Virginia. Honky. Gave my ID to the official as I walked up (they then asked me to repeat my name and address)…

  42. 42.

    rikyrah

    I voted two weeks ago. Made sure to cast the ballot for Gov. Quinn and Sen. Durbin. Voted yes on every referendum except for the ones trying to help folks out with ‘noise pollution’ that live near airports. I have no sympathy for them -nobody made you buy near an airport.

  44. 44.

    maurinsky

    Connecticut – not specifically asked, but there was a sign on the door stating that you had to have valid ID and the list of things that qualified as valid ID (which are not all photo ID). I did have to show my ID to get them to check my name off the list. I’m white.

  46. 46.

    Gene108

    NJ. No ID as usual. I think one of the poll workers recognizes me. Started spelling my last name and she said OK I go it.

    No line either, which worries me a bit. NJ3 is an open seat, and I live in the part of the district that leans Dem, so turn out in my neck of the woods is key to picking up the seat.

    Edit: Race Asian Indian

  47. 47.

    David Hunt

    Early voted in Texas. ID was asked for of all voters I saw including me, which is required this year (damn them). White guy.

  50. 50.

    Betty Cracker

    Florida / cracker / asked for ID. Tried to use voter registration card and was told by poll worker that I “never have to bring that” and was asked if I had a state ID with my signature on it, so I used my driver license. I had to sign the voter roll above my printed name, and the poll worker appeared to briefly compare my signature there with my driver license signature.

    Hubby and I were trying to remember if we’ve always had to show ID when we vote; we don’t think so, but we’re not 100% sure. I could swear I used my voter ID card in the past, but maybe I’m mistaken.

  51. 51.

    Redshift

    I made it four minutes watching Morning Joe.

    How long did you last hitting yourself in the head with a hammer (as long as you’re trying things that have no purpose other than to cause pain)?

  55. 55.

    Bottyguy

    NC no ID requested, but reminders that we will require ID in 2016.

    I’m white in a suburban area of Raleigh where there is no line for any part of the voting process.

    But on TV i see that there are lines in some urban areas. Maybe poor planning from our Republican overlords?, precincts aren’t allowed to extend hours anymore, so it might be interesting to see how this plays out.

  56. 56.

    Lotti

    I voted at the earliest opportunity – as a yellow dog Dem from Kentucky who migrated early to Tennessee and now lives in North Carolina, I have always tried to vote early if not often. I was told by the lady who checked my registration that ID would be required for the next election and to be ready. I told her I was already prepared for that eventuality. There is obviously a real effort underway here to ensure that everyone has the proper credentials. Not sure that is true statewide however. Mature, white female.

    The gentleman standing at the machine that tabulates the vote was black. I thanked him for his service and he said he was thankful to be able to serve. I think we are making some progress here but it is still a slow process as evidenced by those in power in Raleigh and the choices that I was presented for Senate representation.

  57. 57.

    JMG

    Dear John: As a well-wisher, please let me advise you to stop watching cable news not just today but every day. It kills more brain cells than sniffing cleaning fluid. Local news is OK if you stick to the weather and sports.

  58. 58.

    Mary G

    CA, voted last week by absentee ballot (go Gov. Moonbeam!), no ID required of anybody as far as I know, white.

    In happier, if TMI, news, I graduated to a commode from a bedpan, which means I am on the way toward going home, yay!

    Yesterday I asked for sleeping pills because of the roommate from hell and they moved me across the hall. She still woke me up with her hollering in a voice that could pass as a foghorn, but not until I had a lovely 7 hours of sleep.

    Today I get the staples out. I have 20 on the inside of my ankle and 29 on the outside. I am down to one pain pill a day before PT, but I think I will ask for an extra one before they haul me off to the doctor.

  61. 61.

    tanman

    Massachusetts, not asked for ID – they check you off a town voter roll, “ethnic” white (Italian with olive complexion)

  63. 63.

    Peej01

    Maryland. White. I voted absentee. I had to enter my drivers license number in order to get my ballot online so I could print it off (I still had to mail it in.). But I could have voted early or today without an ID.

  64. 64.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    Minnesota. They will ask for my ID, but will accept a bill with my address on it, or my son and I can vouch for each-other.

    Son’s first time voting in a general election…he voted in the primary because he turned 18 before today.

    So that’s fun.

    Open thread, so starting “whole thirty” today. No sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, legumes, etc. I’m going to miss yogurt terribly. Also, black coffee is bleh.

  66. 66.

    Gvg

    Florida, early voted Saturday. Signs said I’d required so I had it ready. the signs always say I’d required for at least 15 years that I recall so that’s not new. white.

    the ID trickery is the new laws to get a drivers license. My goodness that was a pain and I had the docs. so the election suppression happens out of sight of the actual election and has economic impact too. supposed excuse is 911 regs finally being implemented driven by the fact a few of the hijackers used Fl drivers license’s to get on the plane and got piolet training in Florida. It’s nonsense but people aren’t pushing back yet.

  67. 67.

    Cheap Jim, formerly Cheap Jim

    Maryland. No ID, but was asked to verify my date of birth. Fish-belly white.

  69. 69.

    Redshift

    @max:

    There’s no early voting and the only absentee voting allowed basically requires a note from the principal.

    While they don’t call it early voting, there is “absentee in person” voting. (Yes, it’s stupid. Blame Republicans, who vote down any form of early voting, but somehow let this one slip through years ago, as long as we pretend it’s just a variation on the absentee ballot.) But it’s true that it’s not “no excuse” early voting; you have to state that you believe you qualify for one of the approved reasons, same as for an absentee ballot.

    (If they follow the same procedure they have been (we had voter ID laws last year and an election) then I’ll be required to hand them my photo ID and my registration card and then have to recite my address (including the town name that I’ll be standing in the middle of), and then they’ll frown anal retentively and probably allow me to vote. On one of those voting machines that everyone is getting rid of.)

    Again, not exactly. Last year the new voter ID requirements were on hold and you could still use documents such as a utility bill to prove your eligibility. They’ve generally asked if you have an ID, to make it easier to look you up in the rolls, but technically it’s not required, and before this year, you could vote without it.

  70. 70.

    wvblueguy

    West Virginia, they checked my name on the computer, asked me to sign a card, I voted. Simple! If the Republicans take the House in WV they will try for voter ID. I’m white and and old guy.

  71. 71.

    jayjaybear

    Voted before work this morning. PA. Not asked. White.

    I did note, however, that the usual gaggle of jaded nursing home candidates at my polling station was apparently kidnapped and replaced by a group of young, racially diverse election workers, which encouraged me. One was a hipster, but you can’t have everything, I guess.

  73. 73.

    Betty Cracker

    @Gvg: That’s a great point about what a giant hassle it is to get driver licenses renewed these days. My mom was bitching about it a year and a half ago when she went through the process. She had to dig up divorce decrees from the 70s and 80s.

    The process disproportionately affects women. If Hillary and Jeb square off in 2016, it might be a good idea to start a campaign to get women in Florida to get their papers in order well in advance!

  74. 74.

    Savage Henry

    PA
    White
    ID requested with apologies (wanted to get the name right on the log book) – didn’t get the impression that it was required

  76. 76.

    Gopher2b

    Virginia, white, asked for ID by a (plot twist) nice older African American gentleman.

    Voted straight dem. wait was two minutes compared to 45 minutes in ’12. I’m a touch worried about Warner. A smidge.

  78. 78.

    Tommy

    Just voted a few minutes ago. In the eight or so years since I moved back to Southern Illinois this might be the FIRST election where my vote could really, really count in a couple key races. Both for my House rep and the Governor. Looking at the tracking polls at Daily Kos and Talking both races are a “toss up” with each either dead even or one or the other person up by a few percentage points, but within the margin of error.

    My Predications
    Governor Quinn (D – Incumbent) vs Rauner (R)

    Quinn will lose my 3-5 points.

    I’ve met tree stumps that have more personality than Quinn. Plus his name will also be tied to Blagojevich, as his Lieutenant Governor (and Quinn first became Governor). That is strange because it is believed for a time they didn’t talk to each other for more than two years. Plus he had to govern a state that might have had the worse finances of any in the nation. I recall our State Controller was on 60 Minutes 4 or so years ago, keep in mind he was IN OFFICE at the time, and when asked about Illinois paying their bills he said we couldn’t, and that we are, and I quote, “a deadbeat state at this point.” Nobody likes he raised taxes on the middle class.

    Rauner is a billionaire (or very, very close) that is honestly kind of like Mitt Romney on roids. Made his money the same way, buying companies, selling off anything worth a dime in a firesale, shipping all the jobs to China, and firing everybody. He is a blank slate on the social issues that get most Republicans in trouble, because he refuses to talk about any social issues. Says he doesn’t want to be a “nanny” and tell people how to live. He wants to create jobs and get the state’s fiscal house in order.

    House Member Bill Enyart (D-Incumbent) vs. Mike Bost (R)

    I think Enyart will pull this out by 4-5 points.

    Maybe more. The military will bring him home. He is a former two star general and his last job was running the Illinois National Guard. When you have an Air Force base in his district that empployees 32,000 people, well that is the thing that will save him. He as been outspoken about the VA (and actually done, or tried to do this in his last term in DC), sexual assult in the military, and even come out for “clean coal” with is a big industry in this part of the state. But all in the all the military and former military (which we also have a large population of) will save him.

    Bost, well just do a Google search and sit back and be amazed. There are videos of him as a house rep on the floor of the State House in Springfield doing things if I did them in public somebody would call the police. I might live in a “Blue Dog” district, heck a district that would look moderate Republican if you dropped it in San Fran, NYC, or Vermont, but we still don’t “cotton” much to the “crazy” regardless of the party.

  79. 79.

    Kitts

    White lady, mailed my WA state ballot in last week, so no ID needed. But I checked online and they hadn’t received it yet, so I’m a little worried.

  80. 80.

    John Richards

    SC; Sign on the doors said photo ID was required so I already had mine out along with my voter registration card, handed them to the poll worker and she only looked at my ID; White

  81. 81.

    Redshift

    @GHayduke (formerly lojasmo):

    Son’s first time voting in a general election…he voted in the primary because he turned 18 before today.

    So that’s fun.

    One of the people who came through while I was working outside the polls in my precinct this morning was a mom bringing her daughter to vote for the first time, clutching her voter registration card. It was very cute.

  82. 82.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Here in Washington, the eyes are on two competing gun initiatives, I-594 and I-591. I-594 is the one that the NRA fears, so through their stealth opratives they put I-591 in a trojan horse bill. The thinking is that if both iniatives pass, the courts will gum up 594 or weaken it.

  83. 83.

    Cervantes

    @Sherparick:

    Busy day.

    Just one quick comment re the following:

    Just crickets. Udall in particular really stuck his neck out on the NSA, Guantamano, and Patriot Act issues, and apparently it is going to get cut off. I am sure this will lead to a stronger civil liberties and anti-war caucus in Congress (snark).

    Is it your impression that Udall’s opponent, Gardner, would have been vulnerable on this issue? The Udall campaign apparently did not think so — they’ve barely mentioned it, possibly because Gardner’s voting record has not been stupidly-pro-surveillance-state.

  85. 85.

    Richard Mayhew

    Voted with my 5 year old daugher. I was asked for ID, and she told her life story and was quite disappointed when she had to go the voting booth with me. She wanted to vote all by herself like a Grown-Up. She was mollified when she wrote herself in for Congress and Daddy in for district judge. I’m not sure about the later, but I know the write-in candidate would be a vast improvement over the incumbent as the write-in candidate is big on FAIR and sharing.

    We’re pasty white.

  87. 87.

    ydoboN

    New York.

    Id not needed or asked for, but I took pity on the poll worker and gave it to her so that she could write my name down. When she handed me my ballot and I left to fill it, she was busy practicing pronouncing my name aloud! :-)

    Indian (Asian)

  88. 88.

    CarolDuhart2

    Ohio. I was 27th at 8;15 in the morning. i looked for a sample ballot, and the only person there was a Democrat, and it looked like she handed me her last one.
    Black. They did ask for my ID, and checked my signature against the last time. Voted straight Dem, and nothing else. Black..

  89. 89.

    bg

    Fla. white. ID required. They slide the driver license thru a thing like a credit card reader. Dunno what happens if you don’t have one.
    And, you have to read a paragraph that warns you that vote fraud is a felony, and sign it on a pad like at the grocery store. pretty intimidating but as the pollworker told me, this is Florida.
    pretty good crowd for early voting on Sat for a midterm election
    Voting for Crist didn’t make me feel nearly as bad as I was afraid it would.

  90. 90.

    David Bader

    Cedar Rapids, IA – early vote, asked for ID, white guy – we are not all crazy in Iowa

  91. 91.

    Tommy

    @Betty Cracker: Can I ask a somewhat stupid question? I assume for women taking their husbands name can cause problems with a license. Honestly how does that work? But brother’s wife is divorced. Took her first husbands last name, but changed back to her maiden name. Then worked in the area for a decade plus before she married my brother. Decided to keep her maiden name, because well that is what everybody knew her by (she is in sales and that kind of matters I would think). Made sense to me. Made sense to my brother.

    If she were to have taken his last name, which of course would be different then her previous ID and birth certificate. Does she have to bring in her marriage license to the DMV? Something else? Honestly I got no idea and I am more than a little curious.

  92. 92.

    John PM

    Voted early last week in downtown Chicago.

    Even though my precinct is in the suburbs, I was not asked for ID.

    Translucently white. Vampires have less aversion to the sun than I do.

  93. 93.

    Phyllis

    Minnesota
    voted by mail… we also have early voting
    you can register at the polling place right before you vote
    no ID asked for
    white

  95. 95.

    Sherparick

    @Sherparick: One thing I left off, the wild card of impeachment. Except for Ted Cruz, Steve King, Tom Cotton, and Jodi Ernst, I expect most Republican politicians would wish that word to go away as that is something they don’t have any incentive to do (let’s see if they vote to impeach, that will renergize the President’s base and even draw all the disaffected liberals back to his defense and to the polls to vote in general elections. For Mark Kirk, Kelley Ayotte, Pat Toomey, and even ol’ Rob Johnson, Tea Partier of Wisconsin, these would not be fun vote and even Republicans in districts that are only +5% Republican with increasing level of minority voters, this is not something they want. But the Wingnut Conservative Entertainment Complex loves and has incentive to talk about impeachment, it would drive their ratings and speaker fees. And the voices are already coming out.

  98. 98.

    ellie

    Colorado, and no ID, we have mail-in ballots. I dropped mine and my husband’s off at City Hall. There was no one standing next to the drop-off bin challenging me. But then I am a middle-aged white lady.

  99. 99.

    tokyo expat

    California–Permanent Overseas Absentee Voter–Received the ballot weeks ago and sent it in. Nothing required except a signature.

    Female-White

    My 17 yr old will be eligible to vote in the next presidential election and he’s excited. I need to figure out how to get him registered. I’m going to the embassy on Thursday to renew my passport. If I remember, I’ll ask then since he turns 18 in December.

  100. 100.

    Tommy

    @John Richards: Yeah NOBODY asks for an ID much less a voter registration card where I live. But I ALWAYS have them with me. I don’t know how others vote around the country, but I walk into the gym of my local primary school. A long table with signs that say A-M and N-Z. You walk up and say your name. They flip through a little book, find your name. You sign your name (with a carbon copy). They look at the signatures. Point you to a person that hands you a ballot and initials the corner. You go to a voting booth. Vote. Into the optical scanner the ballot goes. Given your “I Voted” sticker. Done! I like to joke I am in and out of the place faster than I can order a Big Mac.

  101. 101.

    Arm The Homless

    Florida, early in-person voting. Asked for ID and to recite my address which is different from my ID address, but correct with the county election office. I easily pass for white.

    Fiance got one of those, “Vote! or we tell your neighbors you’re a slacker” mailers last week. I knew it was created from Republican lists because her name was listed but mine isn’t, even though we registered at the same time at this address. She is still registered as Republican while I am no party affiliation.

  102. 102.

    Sloegin

    Washington. Vote by mail. Any state that doesn’t do what Washington and Oregon do should have it’s collective head examined.

    Seriously.

  103. 103.

    Betty Cracker

    @Tommy: I think it varies by state, but in Florida, you have to bring official documents for every name change from birth to present to renew a license. So to get a license here, your SIL would have to provide a birth certificate with her original name, a marriage certificate with the first husband, a divorce decree and the official name change documents that allowed her to revert back to her birth name (maybe that’s just the divorce decree; I don’t know).

    It wasn’t always that way — from what I understand, they used to just roll the name that was on your current license over automatically unless you produced documentation for a name change and requested it. Now, they make you dig up all the old documentation, which was a gigantic hassle for my mom.

  104. 104.

    shortstop

    Wow, we had an old-school ballot box this morning — shoved my ballots through the hole. I’d forgotten all about those!

  105. 105.

    Arm The Homeless

    Florida, early in-person voting. Asked for ID and to recite my address which is different from my ID address, but correct with the county election office. I easily pass for white.

    Fiance got one of those, “Vote! or we tell your neighbors you’re a slacker” mailers last week. I knew it was created from Republican lists because her name was listed but mine isn’t, even though we registered at the same time at this address. She is still registered as Republican while I am no party affiliation.

  106. 106.

    Glenda

    Iowa – voted early by mail – I didn’t need an id because I filled out the early voter request card, but my son was asked for his id when he voted early in person – white.

  109. 109.

    Tommy

    @Betty Cracker: I figured it wasn’t easy, but what you outlined is more then I would have thought. I am that OCD dude that not only saves everything, files it in a manner where I can find a piece of paper from 1990. But not everybody is like me. I can’t imagine somebody like your mom, or my mom, trying to find info from 1965. I am not smart enough to figure out how we should to do things, but I think I am smart enough to know what we are doing now isn’t (1) the best way and (2) the most efficient way.

  110. 110.

    Blue Galangal

    Ohio, showed driver’s license and bank statement (we moved). White.
    My coworker – Ohio, showed driver’s license, was given a provisional ballot because they hadn’t yet processed her name change after her marriage – two years ago. Black. (This is the second time she’s had to vote provisionally after getting married and after they assured her it would be taken care of the next time.)

    My son, who was also voting, and is also white, but is a college kid, kind of got into it with the woman checking his ID. She was checking his ID while sitting in front of a big poster that said basically if you have valid ID that’s not expired (pictures of Ohio driver’s licenses/IDs) AND your correct address is listed in the registration book, then you can vote a normal ballot.

    He has a valid Ohio DL with our old address on it, and she found his entry in her registration book. The woman wasn’t looking at his current address in the registration book, though; she was trying to look up his old address on his DL in a different book even though he said several times that we had moved from that address and we were registered here. She told him to be patient, they couldn’t be having any “shenanigans” here.

    Mind you: she FOUND him in her registration book (the one with the signatures). That is, he is REGISTERED with the BOE with his new address. Otherwise he would not have been in the registration book. So finally when we get it all straightened out with the bank statement, etc., she hands him the ballot and his ID and says, “You really need to make sure the BOE has your address change for next time.” He says, “They DO have my address change. It’s right here,” and points to his registration in the book with our current address.

    I wonder if I’d have been accused of shenanigans – middle aged white woman who is so very clearly going to vote Republican *koff* versus a smart ass college kid.

    I remember when all you had to do was verify your name and sign next to your voter registration signature. Oh wait… that was only 6 years ago.

  112. 112.

    PsiFighter37

    This will be the first election I don’t vote in – I moved right before my wedding, and it was too late to newly register before the deadline. The folks at my old ballot spot said I should just vote there this time around, but I’m mildly uncomfortable about doing that, given I have other government docs (like a driver’s license) that I need to renew ASAP.

    I’m in NYC, so I don’t feel as awful about it. On the bright side, I don’t even have to vote for Cuomo the Lesser…

  115. 115.

    tokyo expat

    @Betty Cracker: Wow! I guess I’m glad to vote in California. I didn’t marry in the US. I married in Japan and simply took the Japanese documentation to the embassy where they issued me a new passport with my name change. I used the passport to make changes to my CA bank account and for my driver’s license.

    We need more female politicians. Either that or we tell young women to keep their names. I see a lot of exploding heads from the “family values” coalition with that advice.

  117. 117.

    Thomas

    Pennsylvania (Philly, specifically), White, No ID-check. PA’s Voter ID law was overturned by the courts as being in violation of the Commonwealth’s Constitution.

  118. 118.

    Bondo

    North Dakota. I did provide ID as they scan it to load up your address to give you the correct ballot (we don’t have voter registration here), not sure what the alternative process would have been without ID. White.

  120. 120.

    MGB

    Illinois-Chicago, early voted last week, no ID, half black, half white, but everyone just assumes I’m latino from my coloration.

  122. 122.

    gbear

    Old white guy in St. Paul, MN. They do not ask for an ID here. Since the last election, an old brewery complex in my neighborhood was repurposed as artists lofts, so there were a lot of new voters doing same-day registration, but I was in and out in 5 minutes.

  123. 123.

    Betty Cracker

    @Tommy: Since in-person voting fraud is a problem that is less pressing than fatal attacks by roving bands of shih tzu puppies, I can’t help but think the Republican lawmakers made it hard to renew licenses to suppress votes. They say it’s about security, but that’s a crock of bullshit.

  125. 125.

    Sherparick

    @Cervantes: Gardner has tacked to the civil liberties position (although I suspect it was more anti-Obamaism and his tune would be outrage at the disclosures if a Republican was President) since Snowden’s disclosures. However, before that he was all on board the search.

    … In 2011 Gardner voted to re-up the Patriot Act inclusive of the very policies Udall was then fighting to amend out. A year later Gardner also voted to extend Bush-era amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act credited with allowing the NSA to wiretap domestically and abroad without an official public warrant so long as their primary objective is to collect foreign intelligence.

    Gardner was hardly alone in that vote. Of the entire Colorado delegation, only representatives Jared Polis and Diana DeGette joined Udall in voting against it…” http://www.coloradoindependent.com/148583/neither-udall-nor-gardner-campaigning-much-on-nsa-privacy

    My point still is where has the Civil Liberties Community been to support Udall even if he has chosen not to stress it? (and since he knows Colorado better than you or I I suspect he thinks it would lose him more votes than it would gain for him to stress this issue in his campaign. Politicians are kind like that when they choose their issues. This may be a mistake, but they tend to conduct campaigns they think will help them win elections.

  126. 126.

    Glaukopis

    Mailed in my vote 10 days ago in Caifornia. White. Only asked for id once in a previous election when I wanted to turn in my absentee ballot in person. Polling place at the local university. Officious and obnoxious poll worker.

  127. 127.

    barbara

    New Jersey, white, I’ve never been asked for ID (P.S. there was a small line — which I’ve never seen before during midterms)

  128. 128.

    JoyfulA

    PA, will vote as soon as husband gets his act together. No ID necessary, as GOP law was shot down by state courts. Sallow, which was what I wrote down when voter registration asked for “skin color.”

  130. 130.

    Tommy

    @Blue Galangal: Let me be careful here because I can only know things where I live and my parents live. Clearly not the same throughout the entire nation.

    People running the polls by me are volunteers. My mother runs elections in her district (across the state from me) and once every year or so somebody from the Secretary of State’s office (Illinois) comes down to educate them for a day, but pretty much most of it is on my mother. I think, and I could be wrong, you get paid $80 for working an election.

    I see all the above comments about hassles or out-right-problems with voting. 95% of it would not happen where I live.

  131. 131.

    Jeff

    Mass. No id required, White.

    About 1,000 in our precinct. At 8:30 am (polls opened at 7) 200 had fed their ballot to the machine.

  134. 134.

    Princess

    Illinois, white, no ID.

    Early voted on Saturday. Took two hours. 95% of the people in line were AA and they weren’t budging. Turnout reminded me of 2012. Bad news for Rauner, I hope.

  135. 135.

    Arm The Homeless

    @Betty Cracker: I am grateful every election that our county election supervisor is amazing. A lot of the bovine excrement can be effectively shielded by a good local team who are advocates for effective governance.

    You also have to assume the electorate isnt filled with low grade sociopaths.

  138. 138.

    Tommy

    @F: Is that the law of the state or do they just ask and you do it? I am not coming down on you, I don’t have to by law show my ID in Illinois, but I show up with my ID and even my Voting Registration Card for each election.

    There is a part of me if they asked for ID (they NEVER have) I’d get up on my “high horse” and explain this or that. Throw like 3-4 forms of ID at them and mock them. Maybe ask for their IDs as poll workers. Just be a total “dick.” But I am lucky because voting is so “easy” for me.

  140. 140.

    Mowgli

    Voted way back in the mists of time on Sunday Oct.19th, first time Georgia had Sunday voting (I think)

    Needed ID, it’s Georgia

    White on white

  142. 142.

    Ben Cisco

    North Carolina
    Mailed in absentee ballot (which required ID verification during application) weeks ago
    Black

    Voted for every Democrat on the ballot
    Also hunted down info on “non-partisan” races – if the GOP/Tea/NeoConfederates supported them, I voted against in ALL instances.

    Suck it, Tillis.

    @Mr Stagger Lee: Must’ve been a hell of a courtship.

  143. 143.

    Tommy

    @Princess: As a fellow Illini that is good news. Quin isn’t the best candidate, but Rauner. I fear he’d try the failed Brownback experiment in Kansas, even if maybe at a lesser scale. Tax cuts for the rich. Tax cuts for big businesses. Then watch our state redig the hole that Quinn tried to get us out of by raising taxes and closing the budget deficit.

  144. 144.

    Andy

    Washington, mailed in my ballot in last week (I-591 and I-594 let me vote against the NRA twice, which was very nice), no ID, white.

  145. 145.

    Zifnab25

    Texas, asked for an ID, white.

    Voting for Wendy Davis. Crying a little, because I watched the Daily Show on Thursday and Stewart is probably right.

  146. 146.

    Cervantes

    @Sherparick:

    First, you quoted from an article that also said the following:

    When Greenwald began reporting from the Snowden leaks Gardner called the revelation that Americans’ cellphones were almost universally tapped “shocking” and “seriously concerning.”

    “While we must keep our country safe, we cannot undermine the security of our rights,” Gardner posted to Facebook in June of 2013.

    Gardner’s votes changed after that. In July of 2013 he joined a minority of Republicans in supporting an amendment to bar blanket data collection under the Patriot Act (the amendment narrowly failed in the House by 12 votes). Just a few months ago Gardner voted for another amendment to strictly limit a government official’s ability to request FISA wiretap records on an American citizen. And most recently, Gardner became a co-sponsor of the newly-passed House version of the USA Freedom Act.

    So, according to this article, Gardner’s change of heart (or, at least, change of vote) was fairly substantive and came after Snowden’s leaks and Greenwald’s reporting thereof. I doubt these facts require comment; I mention them purely out of mischief.

    Second, if Udall’s campaign did not think the matter worth raising in the race against Gardner, then are you complaining because people you see as his allies (in this cause) did not raise it, either?

  148. 148.

    princess leia

    California
    White
    Absentee ballot mailed 1 week ago.

    Last year I walked in my mail in ballot and they couldn’t have cared less.

  150. 150.

    Shakezula

    Are any people being asked for ID in states where there is no voter ID requirement? That would be bigger problem that even the legalized disenfranchisment.

  151. 151.

    Tommy

    @raven: I bet. I had to bring my mom off the cliff. I was like mom who freaking cares. They love each other. They are making a life with each other. They have a wonderful, wonderful daughter. Who cares her last name she uses now is “Mudd” and not “Young?” I sure don’t. They don’t. Get with the program mom, times have changed.

  152. 152.

    Michael J.

    NH, asked for ID (just have to show you have one, didn’t have to verify the name), white.

  153. 153.

    Dave

    Nevada, voted absentee, but in person because we were not going to be in the state on Election Day. Had to present ID to obtain the absentee ballot. No questions about race. Pulled the D lever and voted against every non-partisan not supported by D’s.

    How can there be so many stupid people in this country? After the past 30-40 years of Republican bullshit policies, every election should be a Democratic landslide. We’re doing something wrong here.

  155. 155.

    Arm The Homeless

    @Princess: I just cant imagine having to wait two hours to vote. An hour, maybe, if all hell were breaking loose.

    I have quickly turned into a voting-rights zealot. As a voter, i want a compelling case for how you’re not only going to protect access to the polls, but expand and streamline it.

  156. 156.

    shelley

    Old white chick in New Jersey. Sent in my mail-in ballot weeks ago. NJ’s had that for years; no reason needed to give to get one.

  157. 157.

    jonp72

    Minnesota
    No ID requested, just my name and address
    White

    Got to vote for a pirate for county commissioner

  158. 158.

    shortstop

    @Tommy: I want to give them a break because they’re volunteers and it’s a long, long workday — 5:00-ish a.m. to 8:00 or later at night. But I am so frequently disgusted by Chicago election judges’ complete lack of familiarity with election laws and procedures. We once lived in a split precinct and election after election, they’d give my husband one ballot and me another, even though I’d patiently explain that Emanuel wasn’t representing one side of our bed and Schakowsky another. During the primary a few months ago, I stepped in to explain to a guy who’d just moved from Indiana that he couldn’t vote against Rauner in the Republican primary and cast all his other votes in the Democratic primary — the election judges actually did not know that you have to choose one ballot or the other in Illinois’ open primary system. This morning some election judge was actually electioneering for Rauner* from behind the table. I mean SERIOUSLY.

    *In my opinion. She thought she was being all coy and shit but she was very much on the line.

  159. 159.

    Ruckus

    Voted by mail, so other than my sig, which is all I have to give in person as well, no ID. But then my white butt lives in the state of nuts and berries, CA.

    So my question is, if this is the crazy state(and yes we do have some crazy here, no doubt about it. After all darrel issa lives down the road a small bit), what are all the red states?

  161. 161.

    LookingForACanadian

    Mn/minneapolis
    No ID requested
    White chick

    Also: free bus rides from Metrotransit today. Love this city.

  162. 162.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    NC – Early voted 10/25.
    No ID, reminded that ID is required in 2016.
    White.

    Poll workers didn’t hesitate to condemn voter suppression efforts in our newly insane state.

    Fuck you, Tom Tillis.

  164. 164.

    cintibud

    Mailed in my absentee ballot, so no ID required. I did need to write the last 4 digits of my SSN on an identity form.
    I did vote in person in the last special election and my ID was looked at carefully. However I was told they had less than two dozen voters so they were pretty bored.

    Older White Hispanic. From my experience here in SW OH, nobody cares once the “White” box is checked.

  166. 166.

    Angela

    Vote in Philadelphia and working the polls. Great turn out here. Not asking for ID. Thanks to PA courts.

  168. 168.

    boatboy_srq

    Virginia (NoVA). ID’d and verified against voter list (passport: made the pollworker blink, though it took her three tries to get my clearly printed, very Norman English last name correct). White, male. Nearly empty polling station: zero wait for a booth.

    On the plus side, the normally-boisterous Teahadis pushing their wingnut candidates were remarkably subdued, and the Dem rep candidate was doing some pleasantly low-key meet-and-greet at the Metro station last night.

  169. 169.

    RSR

    I haven’t voted yet (but I will when I get home).

    Please also let us know if you are intimidated by anyone, especially the New Black Panther Party.

  170. 170.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    Virginia (DC suburb), handed them my driver’s license, recited name and address, got a paper ballot as white as me, filled in the ovals, fed it into the scanner. Not much change in the check-in procedures from previous years (but a photo-ID has been required for a year or two).

    Fingers crossed for a good turnout in the close races…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  172. 172.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    Upstate/Western NY. White. No ID necessary. I was in and out in 5 minutes at 7:30 a.m.

  173. 173.

    Botsplainer

    Kentucky, showed driver’s license even though I personally know the election officials and count them as friends. They’re very precise.

    It is in ‘bagger country outside the People’s Republic of Louisville, so it was packed with older white people eager to privatize my social security and replace Medicare with Val-Pack coupons.

    Mom insists that it won’t happen to me and that those nice, well-connected white men in nice suits really don’t mean what they say because niggers.

  174. 174.

    Dave L

    I voted early here in Pennsylvania. Thanks to our Supreme Court, which threw out the most egregious voter ID law in a northern state, I did not have to show anything, and was not asked to.

  178. 178.

    Chris

    @Arm The Homeless:

    I just cant imagine having to wait two hours to vote. An hour, maybe, if all hell were breaking loose.

    2012 election, I heard the baristas at Starbucks talking about having stood in line for a lot longer than that. Like six or seven hours, not one or two. (Miami, FL).

  180. 180.

    geg6

    PA, but won’t vote until after work. No ID requirement, so I don’t expect to produce anything other than my signature (but I always have my voter registration and driver’s license with me, just in case). White.

  181. 181.

    Riley's Enabler

    Texas. ID requested, slid it through a card reader. White, with smallish white child in tow. Early voted.

    Big fat middle fingers (a double!) to Abbott and Patrick. I’m so ashamed of my state.

  182. 182.

    Randy Khan

    Virginia.

    The kind of white that toothpastes always promise but never deliver.

    I had my ID out as I walked up to the desk (since I knew there was a new ID requirement), so I don’t know if they would have asked, but it was reviewed with some care.

  183. 183.

    Tenar Darell

    Massachusetts. Will be going out to vote shortly. They will not ask for ID, I’ll just be checked against the registration list. White.

  184. 184.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    @Botsplainer: Don ‘t you know it’s post-racial America nowdays? The problem isn’t with Those People ™ in general, the problem is with Those People ™ who don’t know their place.

  187. 187.

    Katherine

    small town in Utard (oops) / this year we have been coerced into mail.in ballots / seems oppressive in a town as small as ours where going to the voting place we dont usually need ID since everyone knows every one / we do have a minority that must be……ohwell……i understand mail in voting is great for more populous areas but in our case i think it is an unfortunate decision / some of us hope to change this back to in person / btw i have to renew my driver’s license and am required to bring in a sheaf of documents to prove i live here, etc, nevermind i already have a license !
    i am almost 81 and have to have a medical paper signed by my doctor that it is okay for me to drive / i dont mind this so much

  189. 189.

    Mnemosyne

    I voted absentee (by mail) in California, which doesn’t require an ID or any method of identification other than a signature in any state that I’ve heard of. Which is yet another reason you know the supposed deep concern about “voter fraud” is complete and utter bullshit.

  191. 191.

    Karla

    Minnesota, not asked for ID (I voted against the proposition that attempted to change that in 2012), white

  192. 192.

    David Fud

    Georgia. Voted early last Friday. White, ID checked by black woman working the election. After white old man informed me it was illegal to use my cell phone in the 1.5 hr line.

    Thanks for my election dose of authoritarian BS, Georgia. Keep it classy!

  193. 193.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @boatboy_srq: There were a few people filling out forms, but no waiting for me at the check-in (I missed the morning rush). I was #506. It seems like a good turnout (and our precinct usually has a good turnout).

    Fingers crossed.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  194. 194.

    Elizabelle

    @Gopher2b:

    I’m a touch worried about Warner. A smidge.

    Worried how?

    What I noticed re Mark Warner: no apparent door to door in our neighborhood. We usually have someone knock.

    GOP has signs up in our subdivision; not many Democratic signs but people are private here. No sign does not mean no vote.

    My worry for Warner is that a big lead may mean his voters slack on showing up. Nice problem to have, but it is one.

    Calling my friends to follow up. Lovely weather today.

  196. 196.

    Redshift

    @boatboy_srq: Mine is bustling (also NoVa.) I just checked the vote count, and we’ve had 423 people vote already, which is phenomenal for a midterm, especially because neither the senate race nor our congressional race (8th District) is at all competitive. But there’s no incumbent for Congress, so maybe people are not taking it for granted as much as usual.

  199. 199.

    Gravenstone

    WI, #103 in my podunk voting place an hour after the doors opened (usually fall somewhere in the 700’s in the early afternoon). White and I was not asked for ID solely because the Supremes upheld a lower court’s injunction of the fucking state law. After this election, it will in all likelihood be allowed to be enforced.

  200. 200.

    madmommy

    Just voted in Louisiana. Was asked for and showed ID (LADL) and had to help the lady find my name in the book due to the unusual spelling of my last name. Took the kiddos with me, the youngest was miffed that he couldn’t go into the booth with me. We were in and out in less than 10 minutes.

  201. 201.

    Heather

    Texas. :( I presented ID before it was requested, because the person in front of me had his out. I’m white.

  202. 202.

    Hunter

    Illinois (Chicago). Will vote sometime today. (Managed to blow early voting.) Last time I was asked for ID, as I recall, and expect to be this time, since I’m new to this precinct. White, but I don’t stand out — in this neighborhood, nobody stands out (White, Black, Latino, Ethiopian, Indian, Vietnamese, Iraqi, you name it, it’s here).

  205. 205.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    Toronto City Election (I know…not what you meant) – I voted advanced before the October 27 election
    Had to show ID
    I’m as white as Ole & Lena in Minnesota

  207. 207.

    fdrlincoln

    Kansas…In a blue college town. Asked for ID by friendly poll worker and produced it. No trouble. Poll worker made sure Dem poll watcher nearby heard my name and crossed it off her list. White.

  208. 208.

    lol chikinburd

    Wisconsin, two weeks ago, wa’n’t asked for nothin’, white.

    Damn, this blog’s readership is really really white. I guess we have certain stalkers to thank for driving off some of our frontpagers and setting a general tone of ugliness in certain contexts.

  209. 209.

    j.e.b.

    Minnesota. White. So of course not (because Minnesota).

    Although, MN does apparently require some form of ID to register at the polling place on election day. (Somebody was doing so while I was voting.)

    ETA: No waiting, but that’s normal even in a presidential year in our small town.

  210. 210.

    fdrlincoln

    Turnout seems heavy here. 120 had already voted by 9 am. The usual precinct turnout for midterm is about 250 and we were almost halfway there with the polls open just 2 hours. My wife voted at 7 am and reported a line, very unusual.

  211. 211.

    SIA

    Mailed in absent ballot, DL ID number required in GA. My man on the street source (owns a car service) says Nunn will win. His clients are in ultra rich white Atlanta neighborhoods. We shall see.

  213. 213.

    boatboy_srq

    @Elizabelle: Fairfax and Loudoun had more Dem signage than last time around. It was a pleasant surprise to see Foust/Warner material with near-equal coverage to the Com$tock signs. Posters for Ed “Working for Minimum Wage Is Fun” Gillespie are conspicuously absent up this way. Dem canvassers knocked on my door twice in the last week: the first pair were tedious (and a mite rude), but the second batch were pretty nice.

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: I think I was #20 or something. Eerily quiet.

  214. 214.

    Mike E

    NC, moved to my new apt in January, walked into my BoE and changed my registration before the primary; voted for Tillis’s Repub challenger to force a runoff, failed, but wasn’t asked to show ID; early voted at a mostly African American community center on the 2nd day of said voting (took half an hour), no ID asked for and none given.
    See my picture in the dictionary next to Caucasian.

  215. 215.

    Seanly

    Idaho
    They ask my name, then ask me to confirm address & then ask for ID
    White male

    My wife voted absentee & I saw on her line that it said she voted. That’s 2 votes for as many Dems as we get on the ballot plus Boise’s fire bond issue. Turnout pretty decent at 8:15.

  216. 216.

    Bobby Thomson

    My own personal peeve is where have the Glenn Greenwalds, Tom Junods, Dave Sirotas, Firedoglake, etc, and their acolytes, who love bashing Obama (the drone President they call him) and the majority of Democrats about their subservience and continuation of the National Security State during the last three months for the Mark Udall and David Braley campaigns against their authoritarian and wing nut opponents. Just crickets.

    Duh. The National Security State is their meal ticket.

  217. 217.

    LookingForACanadian

    For those certain you will not be asked because it’s the law, let us know if you were when all is said and done.

  218. 218.

    Tom Levenson

    Massachusetts: straight Dem. For tying gas tax to inflation, for expanding the reach of the bottle bill, for extending sick leave rights, against casinos.

    How blue state is that….

  219. 219.

    Grumpy Code Monkey

    Texas, photo ID required, white.

    TX’s voter ID law was initially struck down because it was obviously, nakedly discriminatory in intent as well as effect, but was reinstated for this election because otherwise them Negros would vote for just anybody.

    I still say every not-white person in TX needs to get a CCL, and not just so they can legally vote.

    Voted straight ticket for the first time in my life. Where there wasn’t a Democrat, I voted for the fucking Green (also for the first time in my life). East Travis County is predominately Democrat and fairly diverse racially, so I don’t think we’d see many shenanigans about ID. But i could be wrong.

    Not too optimistic; at the end of the day, Abbot will be Gov, Patrick will be Lite Gov, Cornyn will still be my US Senator, McCaul will still be my US Rep, and life will contnue to suck for most everybody.

  221. 221.

    chbnna

    Illinois. Yes, though not required, Hispanic. When they asked for ID, I asked “for what?” They said so they could look up my name, I replied ” I can tell you my name”, they didn’t ask for it again.

  223. 223.

    Kathleen

    Ohio, early voting, don’t remember if asked for ID but had to write driver’s license info on ballot envelope. I did have to actually show license the first year ID became law but after that I don’t think they’ve asked to see it. White. (Just FYI – Hamilton County uses paper ballots yeah!)

  224. 224.

    JonB

    Florida, white. Poll workers couldn’t have been nicer or more professional despite my drivers license address not matching my voter registration since we’ve recently moved. They updated everything to match and I was in and out in a few minutes.

  226. 226.

    Elizabelle

    @boatboy_srq:

    Wish I could vote for John Foust. I’m in Gerry Connolly’s district, and he’s great, though.

    Disgusted that the WaPost could not endorse Foust, whom they admitted is qualified. It was more “we don’t like Barbara Comstock’s ideas and hope she does not act like that when she gets to Congress … but Foust ran a lackluster campaign, even though he was an able Supervisor. So we cannot endorse him.”

  227. 227.

    SoupCatcher

    California
    Chicano
    Hand-delivered absentee ballot (“”Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”)

  228. 228.

    JohnM

    North Carolina, No ID, (Until 2016, unless…), lily white ass cracker mofo.

    FYI Lots of Hunting Camo, ‘merica trucker hats, and unironic members only jackets in line.

  230. 230.

    stoned stats

    Pennsylvania, yes to ID but only for the first time voting here (or so they say). White but live in a predominantly African-American precinct.

  232. 232.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Georgia.

    Voted early, the first day of advance voting (October 13, I think). Yes, showed driver’s license.

    White.

  233. 233.

    Chris Grrr

    Florida– white. I showed voter id (no photo on it) and driver’s license (photo).

    [cribbed from Joy’s response, above]

    Early voting. They swiped my license in a card reader, which I hate.

  237. 237.

    Rob

    Maryland, no ID required, white. Put $2 in the food donation jar on the way out, bought some coffee and a muffin.

  238. 238.

    nanapple

    In CT, they asked for street name, house number, name, & ID, in that order. White.
    Steady stream of people. I had to wait maybe 30 seconds for a booth to open up. Here’s hoping Malloy defeats Foley again.

  239. 239.

    JMG

    @Elizabelle: And yet, the second midterms for both Reagan and Eisenhower were Democratic sweeps. It’s not all about the President, that’s just the way we’re taught to think about politics since childhood. Maybe they should put pictures of incumbent Congresspeople in post offices.

  240. 240.

    Karen S.

    Voted this morning in Illinois (Chicago to be specific)
    I’m black and was not asked for any form of ID.

  241. 241.

    qwerty42

    If you voted, name the state and whether you were asked for id and your race.
    State: Georgia
    ID: drivers license/yes
    Race: (will assume NOT that I was asked that, but what it is?) white (or so I am told)

  242. 242.

    SectionH

    California. Mailed my ballot a couple of weeks ago. White.

    I did a change of address online a few weeks before that. Easy peasy. They still got a ballot to me in plenty of time.

  244. 244.

    sparrow

    @Wagon: weird. I voted in Maryland today. No ID, just name. No printout at the voting booth. I REALLY wish we could have traceable paper ballots.

    Really, I blame this on the democrats in the end. They need to be all up in the republicans faces and call their bluff. If you want ID, then NATIONAL ID, FREE, NOW.

  245. 245.

    trex

    Michigan, ID was required, white. Wife was not on the rolls though we registered at the same time on the same day when we returned to the state.

  246. 246.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Wisconsin, voted in person absentee over a week ago, white. There was a steady line of about 20 people at City Hall in Madison when I voted. No one was asked for ID; you gave your name and address, they found the appropriate ballot for your ward, you filled it out, put it in an envelop, sealed it, and signed it in front of a city employee who countersigned.

  248. 248.

    JasperL

    Voted last week in Tennessee, strict photo ID rules here. White.

    Still can’t believe I cast a non-verifiable vote on a damn computer. For all I know, the votes I cast for democrats were counted by machine as votes for Mickey Mouse, Satan, and a write in vote for Sarah Palin for Governor.

  249. 249.

    Chickamin Slam

    Hi John. I mailed off my ballot last week so no ID required, yet. I reside in one of the few states that has mail balloting. Voters can either affix a stamp and throw it in a blue USPS bin or drop it off at designated ballot boxes. Not too much in the way of contests though. 90% of them had no opponent running. The Democratic Party is almost non existent in this part of the county. Though they should have gone after the Republican whose company was cited for negligence in a corn silo collapse that killed someone. He only drew a Libertarian and a perennial who sends in his campaign statements via text and is largely incoherent. The two Democrats on the ballot are in an uphill battle. The local rag loves the GOP and endorses their antics and candidates often. It is bad enough we have a Right Wing Religious Nutjob who thinks we need to return America to Jesus on the county council. But I voted and encouraged two other family members to mail in theirs.

    A friend wanted to say Vote Yes on Initiative 1351. He gathered signatures for it. The local rag hates teachers, is pushing for increased privatization instead “constructive civic involvement” or some such buzz word drivel. It naturally wants 1351 to fail.

  250. 250.

    Gravie

    Oregon, ballot by mail. Since it comes to my home, it is pre-ID’d and the outer return envelope (not the ballot itself) has my name on it. You just have to sign the return envelope to verify it’s you. A very civilzed and easy way to cast a vote. I like it.

  253. 253.

    JonK

    Kansas. At my polling station they had an electronic system where they would scan your ID and sign an electronic signature pad like a credit card pad (instead of signing the old printed voter books). One of the poll workers stated that they had seen several different forms of ID already (drivers licenses, concealed carry permits, etc.). There may have been a manual method, but as near as I could tell from what I saw, there was no way to pick up a ballot without showing an ID – they had to ask everyone. White voter.

    (The only “odd” part was the person with the poll “observer” name tag who was also checking people off his own personal paper list of registered voters when they checked in. Maybe it was just me, but that creeped me out.)

  254. 254.

    PhilbertDesanex

    Washington State. All-mail voting, via the socialist USPS. Voted by mail a week ago. No one asked, but in the mirror I appear white. We may take back the state Senate, to include our blind Harvard grad Cryus Habib!

  256. 256.

    Simon Taverner

    Virginia, yes, white.

    *sigh*. Same polling place I’ve been going to for a decade, and this time I get the whole third degree. Present my photo ID, and I still have to announce my full name and my full address (zip code included!). I’m sorry, you are holding my photo ID, aren’t you?! So now you’re protecting against voter fraud cases where someone steals or forges an ID, and doesn’t commit the name and address to memory? That must have been at least 8-10% of the total votes before these new requirements came down; this is a game changer!!

  257. 257.

    Gravie

    I tried repeatedly without success to edit my comment above to add “white.” So here it is. I’m white.

  258. 258.

    Helen

    NY – no ID requested although the little old lady at the door INSISTED that I give her my address even though I told here I knew which voting district table to go to.

    I think she was just bored and in need of doing her job properly.

    In and out in less than 10 minutes as always in NY.

    The 12 year old cop stationed at the door looked bored to death!

    ETA I’m white.

  263. 263.

    mousebumples

    Voted in Wisconsin, no ID required. 30-something, white female. They had me confirm my address, however. (although I don’t really see the point since I could read my address in the voter rolls easy enough – granted, it was upside down)

    We have a “do you think the state should accept federal money for expansion of Medicaid” question on our ballot this year. I’ll be interested to see how the returns on that turn out.

  264. 264.

    PeorgieTirebiter

    Texas. Picture i.d. required. White. Half the ballot was filled with Republicans running unopposed. Sad.

  265. 265.

    Elizabelle

    James and Deb Fallows are in West Virginia today. He posts photos of a GOP mailer, with a lovely smiling picture of Barack Obama on it.

    Yes, BarackObamaNancyPelosiMichaelBloombergNickCasey (the Democrat running for the 2nd Congressional District seat being vacated by Shelly Moore Capito).

    Fallows: Vote Early and Often!

  266. 266.

    Nancy

    Pennsylvania, white and have NEVER been asked for my ID in 14 years of voting at the same polling place.

  268. 268.

    mousebumples

    BTW, I see some turnout comments. One of the pollworkers mentioned that turnout in my district was very good for a midterm. I was voter 424 at about 10:30am. I’m new to this district, so I’m not sure what the typical voter turnout is, though.

  269. 269.

    Bea Ericson

    Washington State. Voted yesterday by mail. No ID required, registered to vote years ago. White.

  270. 270.

    ChrisH

    New York. No ID required, had to sign a voter roll next to the signature from my registration. I’m in Syracuse and the State Senate race was an unopposed Republican, extremely sad.

  271. 271.

    tobie

    Maryland, white, no ID required. My deep-blue, Baltimore City precinct was busy…much to my delight.

  272. 272.

    Elie

    Washington state

    Mailed ballot in day before yesterday. No Id required – just signed ballot. WA is vote by mail….

    black female, middle aged

  273. 273.

    Suzanne

    @Suzanne: Oh, I’m dumb. I thought you meant if I was asked my race or if my ID indicated it.

    So, trying this again: Arizona. Asked for ID (both driver’s license and voter ID card). White.

  275. 275.

    ChrisH

    @JasperL: I was frustrated in NY too. I fed my ballot into a scanner machine and just got “Ballot Cast, thank you” with no confirmation. I’m not sure whether the paper ballot is read later, if the scanner scans the entire ballot, or just registers and digitizes the vote.

  276. 276.

    daryljfontaine

    Illinois/Chicago, no ID (verified on computer by birth year), pretty damn white.

    Electioneered outside by a kind woman stumping for our State Rep (Dem).

    Poor little old ladies working the polls got stuck working next to the loudmouth in the flag t-shirt telling them to read the Gospels. Lamentations over the inability to play music during the day.

    Voted for it all, including the 8,347 judge retentions (after doing my due diligence with the Chicago Bar), and like rikyrah, Yes on every ballot initiative except the airports. I live in a flight path and I can put up with that shit.

    D

  277. 277.

    Lizzy L

    California. Voted by mail. And the ballot doesn’t ask for your race, but if it had, I would write “human.”

  278. 278.

    pam

    idaho. early voting. yes, driver’s license now required. easy and quick. too bad that there is not a democrat running in every race. makes it impossible to vote in every race!

  279. 279.

    Jay C

    New York – at the (recessed) middle school up the block on the UES – not asked for ID, but had to sign the registry to get my ballot.

  281. 281.

    shortstop

    Cole and other FPers, know what would be a fun topic for an election day thread (this day or another election day)? Descriptions of where people voted.

    Years ago, the NYT (I think) did a photo essay of Americans voting and I was really struck by the range of environments in which people exercise their franchise. There were people voting in rural one-car garages, airplane hangars, hardware stores, all kinds of places besides the more usual schools and churches. It was quite moving seeing this basic, communal action being taken in so many disparate locales. I felt all e pluribus unum, though I know we aren’t!

    Today I voted in the lobby of a Chicago high-rise: ours. I am so in love with my new ability to go downstairs in my pajamas (I didn’t, but I could have) and cast my vote, thus totally avoiding the aggressive electioneers just outside.

  282. 282.

    bmcchgo

    Illinois, no ID required (although I offered it to the elderly election judge to make the process move a little quicker), Black

  283. 283.

    bluefoot

    My, there’s a lot of you white people here. :)

    Mass, no ID required (or asked for) at my new polling place, complicated ethnic mix but look brown.

    I asked one of the poll workers if it had been crowded and she said it had been pretty steady since they opened, and there was a long line when the polls opened. I waited maybe five minutes to use one of the eight booths.

  284. 284.

    JGabriel

    Just voted.

    NYC
    Not asked for ID (Had to sign registry, which is how it’s usually done in NY)
    White

  285. 285.

    IdahoFlaneuse

    Idaho – voted early

    Requested ID twice and asked me to state name and address twice so they could compare to ID

    I understand there is an option to sign an affirmation instead of ID.

    White

  287. 287.

    cathy copeland

    Nevada. Didn’t need to show ID. Just a signature. Nevada does it right. Didn’t need to wait in line. Early voting.

  288. 288.

    Ripley

    New Mexico, southern part, 45 minutes to the border.
    Early voted last week, stormed them with my voter registration card – they didn’t ask for anything else.
    Race? Human. Color: Irish.
    Lots of young folks in the polling place, 6 days out from election day.
    Predominately Latino/a, voters and poll workers, indicative of the region.
    Bilingual “I voted / Yo vote'” stickers at the end. Somewhere, a wingnut head is exploding.
    Martinez will be re-elected (weak Dem competition, and Susanna Tejana is an evil fucking bully who gets what she wants), but otherwise we’re pretty damn blue down here.

  290. 290.

    Robert S.

    Florida- voted Early

    ID required, driver license scanned into computer to print customized ballot for my district. God only help you if you don’t have a drivers license.

    White as everyone at the Coral Ridge shopping mall, that doesn’t work there.

  291. 291.

    Cheryl Rofer

    New Mexico. Glad to see others are checking in.

    Voted ten days ago: filled out voter slip with name, address, birthdate, and signature. No id required.

    Anglo (non-Hispanic white to you non-New Mexicans).

    I see that #136 was asked for id. I’ve been an election clerk, and that shouldn’t have been the case unless it was the voter id card.

  293. 293.

    maeve

    AK, ID required but can include things like utility bills, paycheck w/ address, hunting or fishing license, “valid ID w/ photo” etc. – without ID can vote a questioned ballot.

    You can also vote out a provisional ballot outside your precinct on statewide and federal offices or if you go to certain locations (typically airports/universities) they will have ballots for all precincts so you can vote in regional races. That’s in addition to absentee/in person early voting for two weeks before the election. There they scrutinize the ID pretty well.

    They did try to have an ALEC type voter ID law but it didn’t pass the legislature.

  294. 294.

    Robert Waldmann

    I voted in Massachusetts elections (but I wasn’t in Massachusetts). I applied for my ballot, received my ballot and *voted* by e-mail. I wasn’t asked for ID. I am a white man.

  295. 295.

    The Rverend Lowdown

    Proudly voted to get rid of the Koch brothers little fluffer boy. Wisconsin. Was not asked for ID. White

  299. 299.

    Kmony

    WV,not asked for ID, white.

    Interestingly, a poll worker was discussing the lack of an ID requirement with a waiting voter and was quite upset that she didn’t get to ask for identification.

  300. 300.

    ShadeTail

    California, no id, white.

    Any non-white Californians: if you were asked for id, they broke state law. You probably know that better than I do, but I mention it anyway just in case.

  301. 301.

    Mj_Oregon

    Both hubby and I voted two weeks ago, all we needed were two USPS stamps (Go Oregon! We already have a 40% turnout here as of this morning out of an expected 70%) and we’re both pasty white.

  302. 302.

    Santa Fe

    New Mexico. No ID required. White. Black wife and biracial son (voting for first time at 19) voted with me as well. Had to do a provisional ballot myself because of an address change, but was helped by a very kindly Democratic Party poll watcher.

    Martinez will likely be re-elected governor, but otherwise we’re a looking like a solid blue state. Lots of unopposed Democrats on the ballots this year.

  303. 303.

    Mnemosyne

    @ShadeTail:

    IIRC, the first time I voted in California, I brought a utility bill with me because my driver’s license didn’t have the right address. It was no problem at all. If your name is in the book, you can vote.

  304. 304.

    JenJen

    Ohio, I’m a white chick. No photo ID required (a utility bill or pay stub will suffice), but I was still asked by my poll worker to provide one. I did show her my drivers license, while gently reminding her that I was not required to. It kind of pissed me off, honestly.

  306. 306.

    donovong

    Yep! Voted! Straight Democrat. In South Carolina. As white as the driven snow. And, yes, had to show ID.

    And thanked every poll worker I saw.

  307. 307.

    Stacy

    @Elizabelle In NoVa also. We did have Warner’s people go door to door. I also had a nice call from the Congressional Leadership Fund asking for the youngest female voter in the house. The nice young Republican man proceeded to ask me questions about the Comstock/Foust election. He did not identify the organization until the end but I could tell it was right wing when he asked me to identify myself as Conservative, Liberal of Independent. It irritated him when I said Progressive and he said “just answer the question the way I asked it, Conservative, Liberal or Independent.”

  308. 308.

    Crusty Dem

    North Carolina.
    Was asked for ID, despite a plethora of “No ID needed to vote until 2016” signs (“it says here we need to see id” – i took it out and she shooed me forward, I think w/o looking)
    Melanin deficient

  309. 309.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    CA, no ID, white

    Oh man, I just now realized I could like totally go back hundreds of thousands of times and use different names and really rig the election towards my preferences. I bet everybody is already doing this. Why am I always last to catch on to these widespread voter-fraud trends?

  310. 310.

    burnspbesq

    CA (Orange County), Wonder Bread, no ID required.

    Long-ass ballot. I don’t remember having to vote whether to retain judges on the intermediate appellate court in the past.

    Looking forward to tomorrow’s oral argument in the Supreme Court, in which the justices will ponder whether a fish is a “tangible object.” Because the statute in question was enacted as part of Sarbanes-Oxley, which is anathema to Republicans, I’m expecting Scalia (who normally refuses to look at legislative history or other interpretive tools in statutory-construction cases) to suddenly develop a fondness for putting provisions in context of the historical background and the overall statutory scheme, as a way of finding that fish are intangible, incorporeal, and contain no calories because they don’t really exist.

  311. 311.

    KithKanan

    California, No ID, White.

    CA doesn’t require ID unless it’s the FIRST time you’ve voted since registering AND something on your registration didn’t check out in their database… and even if they ‘Require ID’, they’ll accept virtually anything with your name and picture on it (public OR private – employee ID, ID from a commercial establishment (Costco card?), student ID, health club ID, credit or debit card with picture, insurance card with picture are all specifically called mentioned as acceptable in addition to all forms of government issued photo ID) OR basically anything from a bank, utility company, or government agency that has your name and address.

  313. 313.

    Original Lee

    Maryland. Verbal confirmation of name, address, and date of birth, and I had to sign my ballot slip.

  314. 314.

    Original Lee

    Dang. I thought you meant, if they asked which election I was voting in (which they didn’t).

    OK – Maryland, no ID required, white.

  315. 315.

    Andrew Abshier

    Sarasota Florida, white, voted via mail-in ballot, no ID required. Held my nose and voted for craven opportunist newly-minted Democrat Charlie Crist for Governor.

  316. 316.

    sparrow

    @tobie: hey! what part of Bmore? I voted just north of Charles Village. Edited to add: I was 17th voter on my machine, out of about 12, so probably about 200 people had voted by 9 AM, which is pretty decent I think.

  317. 317.

    KBS

    Illinois, no ID required, white.

    I had to wait in line for 15 minutes at 8:45 this morning, which I have never seen before in a major election, let alone a midterm So here’s hoping turnout will be up, although it might just be a local thing because of a divisive school issue.

  318. 318.

    Tone In DC

    @shortstop:

    Today I voted in the lobby of a Chicago high-rise: ours. I am so in love with my new ability to go downstairs in my pajamas (I didn’t, but I could have) and cast my vote, thus totally avoiding the aggressive electioneers just outside.

    So rub it in, why don’t ya?? ;-)

    I have to drive twelve blocks to get to my polling place. It takes me over 10 minutes to do so. How’s a guy supposed to deal with that (all kidding aside, even with a short drive, the traffic around here IS hellacious/atrocious/other adjectives I can’t recall)?

    I hope these close races leave the US Senate the way it is. If these g00per brain donors gain control of the upper house and try to impeach Barackman Hussein Overdrive, we could have mad as hell, latte sipping liberals doing the 2012 Madison, WI thing, and Occupying Someplace. Which would completely freak out JoeScar, Leslie Blitzer and many other worthless pundits.

    I’ll need to show ID later on today when I vote, here in the VA ‘burbs. I am almost certain these folks will check my ID three times and ask for a blood sample. We’ve got the Rainbow Coalition over here.

    Maybe I’ll get a baton and stand outside the polling place, exhorting people to vote. Fairly large black man doing such shouldn’t cause too many cranial detonations.

  320. 320.

    Alice Blair

    Shelby County, Alabama, photo id (used driver’s license), white. Black guy ahead of me, new voter from looks of it, no problem. Black woman behind me also no problem.

  322. 322.

    Origuy

    California, no ID, White
    I usually bring in my sample ballot, which has my name and address on it. It’s more to make it easy for the poll workers to find my name in their lists. Often in my precinct they aren’t native English speakers. This time I brought in my housemate’s sample along with her absentee ballot. They still took my word that I am who I say I am. Not busy at all. I was there at 9:00 and was the only voter. California polls are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

  323. 323.

    negative 1

    Rhode Island, photo ID required, white.

    Told the poll workers how awful I thought the law was loud enough for the tea party-type ‘poll watcher’ to hear. And a big middle finger to the state legislature for passing that racist law this cycle.

  324. 324.

    Jacel

    California. No ID question. White.

    Last week I helped my 93 year old parents prepare their mail in ballots and put them in the mail with what should be enough time to arrive on or before today. I didn’t ask mom and dad to show me ID.

  325. 325.

    Stacy

    Just voted in Loudoun County, Northern VA. White, middle age woman. Asked for ID and had to recite my name and address by a nice poll worker who explained how to vote.

  326. 326.

    ulee

    @KBS: Maine, white, no ID needed. Polling location very crowded this morning. Woman at the ballot counter told me they had been busy since opening. Very strange for a midterm. Perhaps the predictions are wrong and the Dems will come out on top.

  327. 327.

    ascap_scab

    California, voted last week by mail, permanant absentee status, ID on file, Race – American (Got a problem wid dat? Census taker did in 1990 – got thrown out of the house – big ruckus ensued – now officially American.)

  328. 328.

    Gin & Tonic

    @negative 1: That racist law was passed largely with the enthusiastic support of the African-American state reps. I can’t understand it myself, but that was the case.

  329. 329.

    Cap'n Billy

    Small town Maine, whitish, no ID. For the first time in years there was a clerk I don’t know and was asked for my name. Usually they tick me off when I step through the door and hand me the ballot with a smile.

    Good turnout.

  331. 331.

    retiredeng

    Massachusetts, no ID needed, white.

    We live in a small city with 8 wards with two precincts each and have never needed to produce an ID. Even for the first time after moving here. You say your street, address and name. It gets crossed off a list to get a ballot. You mark the ballot and go to the scanner where you do the same (street, address and name). Your name is crossed off two lists and you feed the ballot into the reader. I went at 11:00AM and I was second in line for my precinct but the other one seems to always have a line. Later this evening the lines will be long with folks stopping to vote after work.

  332. 332.

    Scratch

    Voted in Pennysylvania, ID not required and not asked for, white.

    Now planning to hookup with the Democratic Fraudulent Voting Tractor Trailers and be taken to polling precincts in Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware so I can get the 50 bucks a vote from the George Soros Destroy America Fund.

  334. 334.

    Steeplejack

    Virginia, photo ID required, whitey-McWhitington.

    I got to my polling place (elementary school gym) at 11:15 and was back out at 11:20. There were four people ahead of me in line, but two of them were an elderly woman and her young companion apparently trying to prove the former’s identity with a parchment document written in copperplate script and an original signed Charles Dana Gibson drawing of her in her youth. Welcome to the world of voter ID, probable GOP voter!

    I got checked in by the other person working the desk and voted on a paper ballot. Only four items: Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Jim “That’s Capital M, Damn It!” Moran, yes on a $100 million county infrastructure bond issue (because I’m a tax-and-spend Democrat), no opinion on a proposed constitutional amendment to exempt the surviving spouse of a military person killed in action from property taxes on a primary residence (my bad, hadn’t read up on that one).

    As I was leaving I asked one of the workers how many people had voted: I was number 335 on my machine (that scanned the paper ballots), and he said about 100 people had used the other one. Don’t know how that stacks up against other midterm elections, but it seemed like a lot for not even noon.

    And, hey, voting saved my life! I stopped at a traffic light to get out of the school’s neighborhood onto a main road, and I took the time to put on my “I voted!” sticker. I was still fiddling with it for a few seconds after the light changed (no one behind me), and just as I started to hit the gas a minivan came sailing through the intersection at about 45 mph. Would have T-boned me on the driver’s side, and I’d be joining Tunch and Stuck in the choir eternal. So I’m ahead no matter how the election goes.

  335. 335.

    Peter

    First time comment just to add a data point.

    Virginia (NOVA), ID required. Handed them my drivers license, they said my name, and asked for my address, then I voted. They use paper ballots which you feed to the machine when you’re done. I’m white.

  336. 336.

    Gretchen

    Kansas. Of course I had to produce a driver’s licence. Because Devil Spawn Kris Kobach is our Secretary of State. I gleefully voted agaist him. Old white suburban lady.

  339. 339.

    Adam

    Just got back from voting straight ticket Democrat here in Wisconsin (6th district, just wait until you guys see the nutball we will be sending to the house, not if I have anything to say about it of coarse.) Insha’allah, Burke and the rest will win though.

    O, and I’m white as a ghost and no ID, though I do look like a typical hipster moocher whipersnapper

  342. 342.

    MissWimsey

    Female Hispanic and I voted in Chicago’s northwest side. I didn’t get asked for ID, unlike my sister who did get asked earlier today. Huh. In any case, I would have given Bruce Rauner more than a passing Hooghly if he had campaigned on getting judges off the damn ballot. As it stands, I hope hope HOPE Rauner can’t buy his way into office.

  345. 345.

    Steeplejack

    @JMG:

    Maybe they should put pictures of incumbent Congresspeople in post offices.

    With “Wanted!” and a bounty amount.

  347. 347.

    Slamhole

    Florida. White. Can’t vote because of a felony conviction from years ago in CA.
    Taxation without representation.
    I can complain and bitch all I want

  348. 348.

    Richard briggs

    Florida
    They would not accept my voter registration card, had to show drivers license
    Older white guy

  349. 349.

    max

    OK, now I’ve voted (in Virginia, photo id required, although they’ve always asked me here, whitish). Before we went in the guy for the R congresscritter gave us a sample ballot. That was very helpful because there was (starting this year) the town council race on the ballot, and it’s very hard to find any information about local government here, because the town’s so small. It was so helpful, because it told me exactly who to vote against. (I almost made a mistake.)

    @Elizabelle: What I noticed re Mark Warner: no apparent door to door in our neighborhood. We usually have someone knock.

    Mark Warner robocalled last night, twice this morning and gave a human call this afternoon. Whoa. From not much going on to whoa.

    max
    [‘Not worried about Warner.’]

  350. 350.

    VFX Lurker

    I have Permanent Vote-By-Mail status here in California. I forget if I had to show ID when I first registered to vote many years ago, but I have never had to show ID to actually vote here in California.

    I received my ballot three weeks ago. My mail-in ballot only required my signature and address on the outside of the envelope. I mailed it out Saturday; the website says my ballot was received yesterday.

    I am white.

  354. 354.

    windpond

    Fairbanks, Alaska, old, white female. Presented my voter ID regis. card without being asked. We all know each other here. No line, (7:30a) took 2 minutes.

  355. 355.

    p.a.

    R.I. i.d.-was asked specifically for driver’s license. White. ALEC- style voter id law passed by Democratic supermajority state legislature, signed by Dem governor.

  356. 356.

    Alison

    I’m in CA – not asked for any ID, just had to write my address and sign my name. I am so white I make Caspar look tawny.

  358. 358.

    daddyj

    Illinois. Had my Voter ID card in my hand, was told I didn’t need it. Asked to verify address. White.

    Voting took 5 minutes: electronic “dialer” machine with the nice big paper verification ballot displayed under a window: a feature I like. Kiosk next to me was rocking alarmingly; judge called out “It’s not a touchscreen, ma’am!”

    Chicago collar county, so half the races on the ballot were Rs running uncontested. >:-(

  359. 359.

    GxB

    Wisconsin whitey reporting in – only asked if I voted before, no ID asked. Kind of funny since in ’12 there was a crabby lady asking for ID just “in preparation for future requirements” though no one would be refused a ballot. Light turnout during lunch hour.

  360. 360.

    negative 1

    @Gin & Tonic: Because they don’t like the largely Dominican constituency voting in Providence any more than the Rethugs do. Not for any good reason, in other words.

  361. 361.

    Death Panel Truck

    The state of Washington. Voted by mail. The mailman didn’t ask me to show proof of ID.

    Vote by mail should be nationwide. Fuck polling places. The last time I went to one was in 1994, when Noot took out a Contract On America.

  362. 362.

    Eric the Infrequent

    Colorado.
    Dropped off both ballots at the polling place. No ID required. Pass for white most of the time.

  365. 365.

    DanR2

    Kansas (the blue county)
    Photo I.D. required, signed pad
    white

    First time they’ve used a laptop/electronic signature pad at my polling place.
    Name was read aloud for someone to check it off. Pretty impressive local GOTV here (came door-to-door yesterday, and followup reminder call about a minute ago. Sheesh. I’ll vote early next election so they don’t waste so much effort on me.

  366. 366.

    grishaxxx

    Arizona, voted by mail last week. Mail ballots for all elections were an option when I got my state ID in 2010 and could register to vote at the same time. They’re even postage paid!

  367. 367.

    mellowjohn

    lakeview neighborhood in chicago.
    white-ish.
    two of the election judges live in my buidling.
    no sweat.
    p.s. voted a little after noon. was number 164. they said there was a line when they opened this morning.

  370. 370.

    Soylent Green

    Oregon. Dropped my mail-in ballot at my local library two weeks ago, saving a stamp. Why can’t every state do it this way?

  371. 371.

    bago

    I live in a more civilized state, where we welcome the gays, the weed, and the…

    145 minute commute for 30 miles. If you’re in WA, vote for the right prop 1.

  372. 372.

    Lexiltucky

    Kentucky. White. Mrs Lex and I both had our IDs out without being asked but we know the poll workers. Voted at the same place for years.

  373. 373.

    Kineslaw

    Voted in Texas. They were asking everyone for ID. The poll workers admitted voter registration cards were now superfluous, because they needed photo ID and matched that against your name in their book.

  375. 375.

    steve

    @Elizabelle: Yes, there’s a page on the Colorado Secretary of State website where you can put in your name, birthdate, and zip code, and it shows you if your ballot has been received.

  379. 379.

    PhilbertDesanex

    @maeve: hings like utility bills, paycheck w/ address, hunting or fishing license, “valid ID w/ photo” etc. – without ID can vote a questioned ballot

    I am used to the ‘utility bill’ thing, though not sure how that establishes you as a legit voter, but.. a fishing license? How about a marijuana card?

  382. 382.

    Birthmarker

    @GHayduke (formerly lojasmo): I would cheat on enough milk for my coffee. That’s a deal breaker with me.

    Alabama, white, showed photo ID.

    The voter ID was in effect for a few elections, but was tightened up for this election, as to what would be accepted. I feel that the state made a sincere effort to inform and get people ID’s. There were billboards and other ads. My understanding is there was a state sponsored mobile registration unit. I did read on FB this am that public housing ID’s were rejected as acceptable at the last minute, but I can’t speak to that issue at all. Would love to hear the perspective from some AA Alabamians.

  383. 383.

    Arlene

    Pennsylvania, white, no id required. I’m in education and a friend posted this on Facebook within the past few days: “Tom Corbett’s political career ends between 3 and 4 pm on Tuesday when every teacher votes.” If there is one good thing to come out of this election, it is getting rid of this guy who not only damaged public education in Pa but also higher education. Good riddance!

  384. 384.

    drkrick

    Virginia. Asked for ID. White.

    The voter registration people had helpfully dropped a letter from my last name on the registration list. I was permitted to vote a normal (not provisional) ballot and given a voter registration form that could be turned in onsite to request the correction.

  386. 386.

    maeve

    @PhilbertDesanex:

    A resident fishing/hunting license established you as a resident and has your address on it. Since a resident license is way cheaper than a non-resident one there are penalties for fraud – makes sense in Alaska for it to be an “ID”.

    The regulation says “a valid ID with photo” (doesn’t have to be state issued) so if a medical marijuana ID has a photo would be valid (not sure if it has a photo in Alaska where medical marijuana is legal (but ways to get it unless you grow your own aren’t unless they pass the prop on the ballot)

    When I checked in past years the regulation counted “recognition by poll worker” as valid ID but it doesn’t anymore.

  388. 388.

    Dolly Llama

    North Carolina. Didn’t get asked for ID – yet. They even had a sign out front that said no ID was required. And I’m white.

  389. 389.

    Mart

    We walked about twenty minutes to the polling place and I realized I forgot my wallet. My wife was P.O’d. I said I do not think I need anyhting. I went in, said I forgot my wallet. Stated name and address. Signed my name and asked for the paper ballot they handed me. l live in a very wealthy, very white, very Republican suburban St. Louis MO area. I am white, and I have privliges dammit.

  390. 390.

    Dolly Llama

    @Crusty Dem: Where did you vote? That’s weird. We had the “No ID needed until 2016” signs all over at my polling place, too. No issue with your residency or anything, they just asked for it? Shit, I’d call somebody.

  391. 391.

    Comrade Carter

    Wisconsin, Wauwatosa. Under my real name. There’s no ID required here, yet. I’m white, the guy a couple booths over was black. This is Scott Walker’s hometown, I think it’s going to be very close… Closer than the last time when he lost here to Tom Barrett.

    This USED to be a Bircher place, and then it got younger and moved slowly to the left… It’s almost reliable now.

  394. 394.

    mai naem

    Ari-fucking-zona – not only did they ask for my ID but my drivers license has a PO Box so they asked or my registration(or other ID with street address.) I’ve been voting at this precinct for over 20 years. Lived in the same place for the same time. The precinct happens to be a senior center so they’ve never changed it. Here’s the kicker. I hand over my voter registration and they ask me to recite my address. Why? Do they fucking seriously think that if was committing electoral fraud I wouldn’t know the fucking physical address? My sister was given a hard time to with her PO Box drivers license like me(different precinct but shes been voting there for 25 yrs) but she happened to have her mortgage payment stub so that was kool. Asian.

  396. 396.

    boatboy_srq

    @Elizabelle: One more electoral season where the choice is between the at-least-marginally competent an the b#tsh!t-crazy. Somebody at WaPo needs to get schooled on why competent ought to be sufficient and why it doesn’t belong in the same sentence with b#tsh!t-crazy except as noted.

  397. 397.

    South of I10

    @Steeplejack: I still read every day, so I feel like I keep up with everyone. Been busy between work and carting the ten year old to various activities!

  398. 398.

    andy

    I wasn’t asked for ID, because this is Minnesota, not some fly-blown redstate hellpit.

    Incidentally, our Secretary of State has a helpful website that shows you how to do same-day registration as well.

  400. 400.

    fidelio

    Nashville, last week during early voting (at Bordeaux Branch Library, with lots of nice poll workers happy to see a good turnout). I was indeed asked for ID, as it’s The Law! but I was ready for it, and am privileged enough to have a driver’s license.

  401. 401.

    ixnay

    Maine. No ID, they just check your name and address off in the big book. White (hey, it’s rural Maine, sorry)

  402. 402.

    grascarp

    Florida , photo ID required , signature on tablet PC compared to signature on drivers license.

  404. 404.

    Citizen Alan

    Oxford, Mississippi. White male. Voter ID is required so I dutifully handed my driver’s license to the exact same sour-faced old biddy who checked my ID during the primary and the run-off, and she noticed for the very first time that my DL had my middle name which my voter registration card apparently did not. She stared at me intently for a few seconds (I guess to make sure I wasn’t a black in disguise or something) and then handed me the electronic card for the voting machine. Since then, I’ve read on Facebook that other people across the state were blocked from voting for having such a minor difference between the registration card and the DL.

  405. 405.

    Rick Astley

    I voted in Queens, NY. I was asked for ID only because the ladies couldn’t figure out my name.

    I hated voting for Cuomo, but figured the GOoPer was worse.

  406. 406.

    stinger

    White, rural Iowa, been voting in the same former one-room schoolhouse for 25 years. The same person, a former work colleague, has been handing me my ballot every two years for most of that time. We always chat and get caught up socially. This morning as I walked in, she said, “Hi, [First Name]!”, pulled my name up on the electronic voter list, and asked for my driver’s license.

    I had left it in the car, so said no, I didn’t have it, and just then the poll watcher hustled over and told her not to ask for it unless there was a discrepancy between the electronic voter list and what the voter orally gave as their residence information.

    Not sure why my friend the experienced poll worker had apparently received different information than the poll watcher. If Iowa has implemented a voter ID law, it’s news to me.

  407. 407.

    Nerull

    Madison, WI. No photo ID required. Ballot scanner in south side park st. (heavy minority area) location is not working, ballots going in box to be hand counted or scanned if they get it working.

  409. 409.

    Luz

    Wyoming- I’m Puerto Rican. And no ID was required to vote. Maybe they don’t require any ID because 90% of the state is R. No threat from the Ds or the Brown people detected in this state.

  410. 410.

    Riggsveda

    Pennsylvania, no I.D. or anything else requested. I’m white, living in a well-off municipality, and I voted Democrat like a boss. Turnout was twice the normal rate. Corbett is toast points.

  411. 411.

    The Very Revered Crimson Fire of Compassion

    Cape Girardeau, Mo. Mixed race, but light enough skin (and blue eyes), so I pass for white if no-one looks too closely. Had my voter registration card. Wasn’t asked for any other form of ID.

  414. 414.

    Michael

    DC
    Was not asked for ID—only name and address, no further information.
    I look white. (Am Ashkenazi)

    Also I was holding a baby, if it matters.

  415. 415.

    Jules

    Arkansas. White. Voted early. When the poll worker asked for my ID I said I’d rather not.
    She gave me the stink eye, but just asked my info that she would have gotten from ID.
    Easy.
    But I am a white, older woman.

  416. 416.

    JHF

    Taos, New Mexico. You don’t need an ID of any kind to vote in New Mexico. You just give them your name. My wife and I walked 10 minutes on a dirt road to the polling place. A little mud, some barking dogs.

  417. 417.

    TEL

    California, fish belly white, and the only thing I had to do to verify who I am was sign the envelope (I vote absentee).

  418. 418.

    Furklempt

    PA (Pittsburgh), pasty in a neighborhood that’s like 99% even pastier than me, had to show ID, got yelled at for getting lost in school which had no signage, did not receive “I Voted!” sticker because apparently PA is cheap.

  419. 419.

    elis

    Manhattan NY. Was asked for my address to establish District, person at District table checked my name in the book & I signed in – no ID. 500th voter in my District @ 8pm.

  420. 420.

    Bonnie

    Like others from Washington State, I voted by mail. No need for ID or anything else–just a stamp. I have found it easiest to do it as soon as I receive the ballot, mail it in the next day.

  421. 421.

    elis

    @elis: Manhattan NY. Was asked for my address to establish District, person at District table checked my name in the book & I signed in – no ID. 500th voter in my District @ 8pm. EDIT: And am a glow-in-the-dark white middle aged lady.

  423. 423.

    Karmus

    I voted. NW Florida. Was asked for ID (gave my driver’s license). Had to sign (electronically). The lady seemed almost amused to tell me “no letters this time, everything’s different”. I didn’t register amusement; or disgust, which was my actual feeling.

    My race didn’t come up. Or are you asking? Why? Anyway, most people in my precinct seem to be darker than me, FWIW.

  425. 425.

    Mohagan

    Ukiah CA, no ID required, since our (small) precinct was made permanent absentee (mail) ballot several elections ago. Turned in the ballots for me and beloved husband today at the polling place and they just checked we had signed our ballots to make sure they count. Have never had to show ID – just have the poll worker find your name on the list and sign your signature. White (as is most of Mendocino County).

  426. 426.

    jafd

    Well, I moved to new address in Burlington County, New Jersey, last year, and decided to save stamp and drop registration form off at courthouse. Flyers on bulletin board there “Election Workers Needed”, and while $200 for 5:30 AM till 8:30 PM ain’t much above minimum wage, was unemployed and needed the money. So was down for absentee ballot (they can send you to work at precinct other than one you vote at) and guess that the election board thought I was ‘white’ – though am actually mixed race – half Celt and half Slav ;-)

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