Everything went very smoothly. My girlfriend was voting for the first time. She got her citizenship a couple of years ago, but I couldn't get her to vote in 2010. We had moved here only the year before and she felt intimidated by the process. She didn't feel she had enough information to pick the best candidates.
Having Mitt Romney and President Obama on the ticket made a huge difference in her attitude. She was very excited to have the chance to vote for the first time in her life. She was still a bit worried about doing things right, so we made plans to vote together. I talked to her about early voting, but she wanted to vote on Election Day.
Our polling place is in an assisted living center a block away from our condo. The people running the place are really fantastic. They are all senior citizens and seemingly all staunch Democrats, which surprised me in bright Red Indiana. Of course the city of Indianapolis is very different from most of the rest of the state. We have a Republican Mayor and a Democratic City Council.
I found out just how Democratic the polling place was two years ago when I wore an old Obama t-shirt to vote. My girlfriend thought I would be lynched, but I was very warmly welcomed, with lots of "nice shirt" comments.
Their Democratic tilt was also revealed by the election judge who showed me how to fill out the ballot. I asked how I would vote a straight ticket and she showed me how I just had to fill in one oval. The oval that she pointed to was labeled 'Democratic'. Today, when my girlfriend asked the same question, she also was pointed to the 'Democratic' oval.
They offered us coffee and homemade pastries which we declined - I might of said yes, if I were alone, but I had my own lovely calorie counter with me. Oh well, the sacrifices you have to make to bring voters to the polls.
The place was much busier than in 2010, but the voting process is very quick, especially if you are voting straight ticket. There were only three non-partisan Judicial Elections and two the ballot School Board candidates. Al in all it was easier than it was when I voted in New York, although I really loved the old Eisenhower era voting machies we used in New York. They were marvels of mechanical ingenuity.
My girlfriend headed back to work and I'm home to do some last minute calling to folks in Ohio. I really enjoyed bringing someone new to the polls. we all have to do what we can to GOTV!