Ryan Jerz :: Reno Blogger

Misc: It's not that I don't want to vote...

Where was Ross when I needed him?

I was getting crap from Christy about not voting early for today’s primary, and laughed it off. Why should I worry, right. We live, like two blocks from Plumas Park and knew there would be a polling place there today, so I would leave a little early and hit it on my way to work. So I did.

Except that’s not where I’m supposed to vote.

My precinct is at Shopper’s Square today, and a series of events took place that kept me standing around while the poll workers figured out what to do with me. Luckily, a friend of mine was the guy in charge and I was able to make myself sound like the dolt that I am in good humor with everyone. Meanwhile I was asked about 14 times if I was in line.

Seems that you can show up to a poll, tell them who you are, and even if your precinct is not at that location, you can still be entered into the system and have a bar code printed out to give to the precinct reps. That’s where the problem happens. They were worried that if they let me go, I’d show up to the correct place and identify myself, only to be arrested for trying to vote twice and probably wind up on the no-fly list or something. I told them that would make a good story.

So I waited while my friend Bob called around and left messages with people who would know how to handle me. Ultimately, they simply voided my bar code (by writing VOID on it) and let me go to my correct polling place. I guess if they don’t scan the code at the precinct table, you don’t count yet. So the solution was simple. Props to Bob and everyone who helped me out today. Sorry about that. And I have to give props to the ease that the system ultimately worked with. It could have been worse.

tags: nevada, primary election, reno, voting, washoe county
posted by Ryan Jerz on 08/12/2008

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