T-SPLOST Vote / Election Day Open Thread
Decatur Metro | July 31, 2012 | 8:40 amAfter years of debate, the big day is finally here. Use this thread to report polling location lines, describe T-SPLOST-invoked fist fights, or to describe your symbolic walk along the Clifton Corridor line this morning. According to more real news sources, early voting turnout has been abnormally high.
The T-SPLOST question is worded thusly for DeKalb County residents…
Provides for local transportation projects to create jobs and reduce traffic congestion with citizen oversight.
Shall DeKalb County’s transportation system and the transportation network in this region and the state be improved by providing for a 1 percent special district transportation sales and use tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years?
To see your personalized ballot before you vote and check on your voting location, click here.
Seemed like turnout was pretty high at my precinct for it to have been so early and a primary election.
Don’t forget to VOTE!
I think DM needs a way to link to the voting system. All comments regarding T-SPLOST, transportation, urban development and sprawl, livable communities, etc. plus about any of the current races, should be moderated until it can be determined that the submitter voted today. If yes–then out of moderation. If no, got to stick to restaurant and errant children posts.
Since I’m so conflicted on this one, I think I’ll vote twice; once for yes and once for no. That way, in ten years, I can smugly say, “see, I was right.”
Anyone else still undecided?
Had to contemplate on my bike ride to work this morning that I untie congestion every day. And that my wife unties congestion by working in a home office. And how many ways Atlanta citizens can shape this quality of life issue by subtly modifying their travel and work habits.
Kudos to both of you. I wish more managers truly appreciated telework. There’s still a lot of concrete thinkers out there who need to see the bodies of their employees to feel good as managers. And unfortunately there’s a few rotten apples who are unproductive whether they work from home or glued to their office chair and that reinforces the views of managers who like to see bodies.
I think corporations need to step up and start modifying their employees’ work habits before they start asking me for a penny sales tax. My job could easily be done from home, but that’s out of the question where I work… where there are countless “Vote YES” signs.
The entry door at the Lutheran church on Clairemont has changed. It is two doors to the right of where it always has been in the past.
No waiting when I was there at 9:30
Found it interesting that the volunteers at my polling place (first baptist church) were quietly debating the rule about how close “campaigners” can be to the polling place. There were several active signholders (aka frantic leapers) at the driveway entrance off Clairemont, but that was determined to be more than 150ft from the physical building itself.
I don’t suppose it matters much for this local election, but come november it might be uncomfortable for some to run that narrow gauntlet to vote. It’s not the only way, but the only practical way for most, to enter the polling place. Would you be comfortable with the extreme fringes of left or right massing there? (Of course that’s extremely unlikely, so this is only theoretical.)
What’s the group’s thought on that? Not a big deal?
That’s been discussed and even argued before, e.g. with School Board elections and cute school kids holding signs. One angry citizen even yelled at children and parents campaigning on Clairemont and then called the police who had to come out and carefully measure the distance from the Lutheran Church door to the place on Clairemont where campaigners stood. (The campaigning was at a kosher distance. I always thought that the brouhaha helped the campaigners rather than hurt their cause. Natural empathy is with the recipients, not the perpetrators of yelling.)
One would think that by now the 150′ buffer zone/line would be known (and even drawn in chalk or with flags) at most polling stations. Heck, I’m sure Apple or Google even have an app for that.
Those 150-feet rules are enforced differently at different precincts; there was very lax enforcement during the 2009 municipal Atlanta elections at my polling place when I lived in Kirkwood. When I lived in Kennesaw (or as I refer to it, “Kennessee”) in 2008, they were quite strict.
Went to First Christian on Ponce; no waiting, a couple of people in and out. Voted yes on T-SPLOST.
Voted at Avondale HS. Pollsters were very helpful for my wife, who for some reason, DeKalb county has decided that she is still at her old residence from 2 years ago. No real lines at 8 this morning. Voted yes for TSPLOST since I think putting in sidewalks and crosswalks on Buford Hwy, investing in transit to Emory, and further funding of the Beltline are good things.
Discovered this morning that my district is redrawn AGAIN! Third time in 12 years. John Lewis is no onger my representative – it’s Hank Johnson. In 12 years, I’ve been represented by Cynthia McKinney, Denise Majette, Hank Johnson (I think), John Lewis, and now Hank Johnson again. Mary Margaret Oliver is no longer my state representative – now it’s Howard Mosby. Very disconcerting how the legislature keeps moving the border around!
Took me longer to read the ballot than it did to get the ballot!
Tom Baxter’s column this morning in “Saporta Report” – “Framing issues with a broken ballot”
http://saportareport.com/blog/category/tom-baxter/ – is exactly right about how disjointed the ballot is!
Sorry this is happening frequently to you.
Everyone can check ahead online for their correct polling location, current districts for various levels of government and pre-read the ballot that you will see once in the voting booth/at the machine.
The information is on the Secretary of State’s website here:
http://mvp.sos.state.ga.us/
I was surprised to discover that my precinct has been moved to the 5th congressional district. Don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve traded up going from Hank Johnson to John Lewis.
I find it amazing that Hank Johnson is still in office.
Did anyone fail to see his questions to the military regarding increased military stationed in Guam? If you have not seen it… see the link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs23CjIWMgA
I imagine he is concerned for the fate of the UK with all those additional people filling the south of the island for the Olympics. It would be a catastrophe if the United Kingdom were to capsize…
The City of Decatur is all in one Congressional district for the first time in a long time, and it’s the 5th, currently represented by John Lewis. For the past 10 years, the City has been split right down the middle between the 5th and the 6th.
Nope – have a look here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/GA/5
You can compare the 2010 boundaries to the the 2012 boundaries. Decatur is divided on the north side down the middle of Clairmont and Superior. In Great Lakes, people who live on the east side of Superior are represented by Johnson, and people on the west side are represented by Lewis.
In fact, according to Wiki: “Georgia’s 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Democrat John Lewis, though the district’s boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an additional congressional seat to Georgia. The first election using the new district boundaries (listed below) will be the 2012 congressional elections.”
The primaries for those 2012 elections are what we’re votong in today.
Not true. I’ve lived in Decatur for 12 years and have always been in the 4th district (and still am).
There’s a beautiful brand new mural of John Lewis on Auburn Ave. Check it out.
Quick plug for my friend John Q. Carter for Dekalb Clerk of Superior Court! The Clerk’s office needs a return to professionalism and customer service, and I think John is the man for the job!
Turnout was brisk with no wait about 11 am when I voted at First Baptist. After I cast my ballot, my toddler but the plastic voting card in her mouth before we handed it to the poll volunteer. Hope that didn’t nullify my pro TSPLOST vote!
No lines at Avondale High at 10am. Also wondered about the campaigners close to the voting entrance (across Clarendon), but I am terrible at estimating distances, so 150 feet is probably closer than I think it is.
I moved to Decatur (30030 but unincorporated DeKalb) 2 months ago and changed my license and voter registration immediately. I finally received my postcard with the polling place info, etc, a couple of weeks ago. But I don’t show up in the SOS website.
It really bothers me that I cannot simply look up my polling place based on my address. It will only tell me my polling place if my first initial and last name match the address that the SOS has on file.
Because I left my little postcard right on the refrigerator where I put it for safekeeping and don’t remember my polling place… I have to go home before I vote. The question is whether to do this on my lunch break – from my office in downtown- or after I pick up the baby from daycare. What a pain in the ass.
would this rank as better, worse or the same as having to deal with the troll every time you cross the bridge?
couldn’t resist….
Does anyone know the polling hours? And any problems at the Renfroe polling station? Thank you!
Renfroe was AOK this morning when I was there. My gut says polls close at 7 but it might be 8.
Renfroe was fine this morning. This afternoon, the City Schools of Decatur in their infinite wisdom scheduled some kind of large meeting which filled both sides of neighborhood streets with parked cars rendering some of them one way at best and creating some real bottlenecks. At this time (5:30+) things seem to have cleared out. It was just a poorly planned (or not planned at all) event with unfortunate consequences. I’m sure many would be voters turned away since this was prime voting time.
School starts tomorrow, so there was probably some kind of orientation or something.
I’m skeptical that many voters (or any voter) motivated enough to get within a block or two of the polling place was derailed by what cannot have been more than a few minutes’ delay. Think Mayberry — a chance to meet & greet neighbors and friends (instead of an anonymous, annoying obstruction to one’s personal agenda).
Unfortunately, at that time it would have been more a matter of 4 or 5 blocks. It was impossible to turn down some streets because cars could only move in one direction. I have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years and can’t remember ever seeing anything like this. My concerns are 1) that many people have little time to vote and could be turned off, and 2) that Decatur School System knows Renfroe is a polling place and could have taken this into account.
It was the Meet & Greet for RMS students from 4-5. Parking was definitely an issue. We parked at Agnes Scott to go to the Meet & Greet. I think a lot of voters walked, though.
Voting is 7am to 7 pm. If there is a line (doubtful) and you are in line at 7, you can still vote.
Thank you Scott and AMB!
I find it disconcerting that voters with an interest in the Tax Commissioner’s race, the Chief Executive Officer’s race, and/or County Commissioner Distract 6 race are compelled to select a Democratic Party Primary Ballot. (Since these races do not have Republican Party candidates.)
If you want the chance to vote for a Republican for Dekalb county positions, you are welcome to run for office! However, I don’t think it would be a good investment of your time.
Look on the bright side, at least you are free to select which Primary to vote in when you go to the polls. In many states, you are not able to do so.
One of the questions on the R ballot (in Fulton anyway, maybe not in Dekalb) has to do with that. I guess republicans are trying to suss out how the voters feel about having to register with a party in order to vote in primary elections.
I weighed against that issue for exactly this reason – voting for a Republican in a Dekalb/congressional district race is pointless. I want to be “enfranchised” by at least voting for my favorite among the Democrats in the primary (since one of them will inevititbly be my elected official.)
DeKalb County is a microcosm of what it was like in the old days of one-party (Democratic) control of state government during the 20th century — all of the races were decided in the primaries, rarely in the generals.
Wan Wan Waaaaaaa…. Yep, our elected officials have a real good pulse on the mindset of the voters. I live in Decatur, but work with many people in the counties that were part of this vote and I’m not surprised at the outcome.