Primary Election Day-Crook County Voting

"So much for shedding Chicago's "vote early and vote often" reputation. a mouthy Cook County election judge was booted from the precinct where he was working this afternoon for attempting to vote several times, among other things."

Having decided not to vote early, I ended up having to vote and keep several appointments on the same day.

SinceI usually vote early, which means I can vote anywhere designated,I have never voted at the Precinct where I have lived for the last three years.

After just glancing at the adress where to vote included with my new Voter's Registration card, I walked intot he first school I saw on 16th street and no, it was not the site where I can vote.

Leaving there I drove to the school on the corner of 16th street where I live and where the County election Judges suggested was probably the correct voter site for my adddress.

This was the correct site. Thank goodness, the thought of going all the way home, locating my Voter's Registration card and then searching for that site was not an appealing thought.

Eveything was fine once I arrived here, except the Judge sent me to "the table all the way in the back", they sent me to "the table over there".

Since arriving finally at the "table over there" I was surprised to see my neighbor and Block Captain President, and announced to her "didn't you see me trying to figure out where to vote, why didn't you help me?

Afternoon News shows hadalready announced that voter turnout was low and I was very suprirsed as how many complained about signing Candidate Petitions allowing them to get on the ballot but no one was bothering to vote.

Anyway, ballot in hand, I proceeded to vote for candidates I preferred but mistakenly over-voted.

The Election Judge explained that Icould submit that ballot as is and my vote would not be counted where I over-voted and seem surprised when I asked for a new ballot and explained all of my votes were important to me and that is why I was voting.

As I walked back to vote again, the judge announced very loudly, while holding my "spoiled ballot" up, "you can't write on this ballot like this, you have to vote for the names on the ballot."

Geting irritated, I shouted back at her, "it says, write in and I am intitled to a secret vote/ballot, you are not supposed to look at my ballot to see for who I am voting."

As I was finishing my third ballot, I started to look for the Board of Election's phone number to file a complaint, another Judge, Sheree, asked to speak to me and apologized for the first Judge's error in telling me that I could not write in a candidate's name on my ballot.

The other Judge also left the room and never returned.

This calmed me down some and I submitted my ballot into the "thing' because no one ever explained what the "paper shredder looking device" that all the ballots were being fed into was, and it was declared "undervotted."

This was acceptable to me and I approved of this and left.

At least I voted, and I only voted once.

Alas, life in crook county, always expect the unexpected.