I voted last Wednesday, joining the line outside the Marion County Building at about 12:30 p.m. When you count all the bends and twists in the line, it must have been about two to three block long. But it was a nice day, everyone was friendly, and I was there to vote, dammit.
We chatted to each other, shared stories, and helped each other get through the afternoon - saving spots for people who had to use the restroom or go put more money in their parking meters. One of the men in line had brought a wheeled office chair to sit in while he waited, playing games or doing work on his laptop.
There was entertainment in the form of a couple combos, one performing R&B covers, the other jazz. The man in the top photo was writing poems using words provided by passers-by. It was nice to see his large hands working the keys of an old manual typewriter!
As we waited, deputies from the Sheriff's Department, walked the line, stopping every once in a while to get very elderly or disabled persons moved to another, shorter, line so they would not have to wait too long. One of the deputies stopped to ask me if I'd care to join the shorter line. I don't know why, but I was taking pictures at the time, so maybe that attracted his attention. I thanked him but turned him down, saying that, while I appreciated the offer, I am healthy and preferred to wait my turn with the others. He seemed both astonished and amused, but went on his way. At the time we'd gotten a bit more than half-way through the line.
In all, I waited about two and a quarter hours before we got inside the building to fill out and cast our ballots. The process went smoothly and I walked over to whole Foods Market for some groceries, then was on the bus for home around 3:30 p.m.
2 comments:
Very good post and bravo for voting .. that was kind of the officers to help those in need .. also, it was kind that people came to entertain (both R&B as well as poetry).
Thank you for letting us know that there was a problem with your thumbnails at https://www.citydailyphoto.org/". The problem has been fixed and your thumbnails now appear.
Please note that we also have theme day page at https://www.citydailyphoto.org/category/theme-days/ Please check it out and if you want you can add a link to your photo there as well.
Perfect photo. I've seen these portable poetry stations in a couple of places. One here recently at an outdoor arts festival. (See my post of Oct. 14.) There is a man who sets up shop just outside of the Embarcadero Market in San Francisco with a sigh that says "Poetry - Your Subject - Your Price." We could use a few more like that.
Post a Comment