We’re at the crossroads once again, it’s time to hit the polls and then
Choose the hands to wisely guide us. Will they unite or just divide us?
Will we choose tolerance or hate? Faith or fear? Is it too late?
When roads diverge we’re on the verge of parting ways, or will we merge
Onto one lane that’s smooth and steady, into the future. Are we ready?
But no matter what floats your boat, just hit the road and… Vote! Vote! Vote!
Like a baby…
STOOOAT!
Right after work tonight! (I thought about going this morning but I couldn’t get up early enough and I work too far away to go at lunch.)
Hmm…if there were actual stoats at the polls maybe more people would turn out…
They might accuse me of voter fraud if there were baby stoats at the polls because I would show up everyday of early voting and on Election Day!
Jendeyan, you wouldn’t have to vote every time you go. You could tell people you are a Stoating Official.
Morning All! This Canadian loves you American peeps. I do have a great deal of anxiety about today but I am trying to put that aside and hope for the best. Vote, vote like a baby stoat and yes crossing my fingers that high road is chosen by the majority.
Planet-wide anxiety I’m guessing.
Arghh Wuyizidi! I can’t watch the link due to geoblocking but I will try and find it up here north of the border. Global, will probably have it. 🙂
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!
I was thinking this the whole time I was in line at the polling place!
Same here! ? When they handed me the “I voted!” sticker, I thought I’d much rather have a cute baby stoat photo with “I Voted” underneath it. We need to do that for next year!
Canadians–is it true that Canada is not accepting Americans as immigrants? My sister told me this and it depressed me very much. I live about 4 hours from the border, and sort of held on to that idea as a comfort.
Canadian here. I know of no policy changes in Canada towards immigrants from the US. In fact, according to published stats, there’s been a modest uptick in the number of Americans coming to Canada over the last year. But Canada is like any country: there are applications to fill out, laws to follow, etc. You get points in your favour for meeting certain requirements: Can you speak English? Can you support yourself? Do you already have a job to go to, a place to live or a family member to sponsor you? Would you be at physical risk if forced to go back home? For my part, I would welcome anyone who appreciates what Canada has to offer and who wants to make it a better place to live! Diversity of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, religions etc. makes us stronger! For today, though, my American friends: I wish you well on your mid-term election day and hope there’s good turn-out at the polls which sends a strong message to the politicians. I’ll be awaiting the outcomes and watching with interest!!!!
“Diversity of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, religions etc. makes us stronger! ” Ab-so-loo-tiv-lee! Amen! Put it on a billboard!??
Maybe a Caravan to Canada????? Only if it goes down the tubes, mind you.
American living in Canada here and it’s possible but the paperwork is not easy at all. It took me 6 months that was with already having a job offer from a prestigious university in Toronto. A friend of mine just got her permanent residency application approved, 6 years after marrying her Canadian husband. So it’s possible but not something quick or easy.
Hi 6rabbits! Another Canadian here. I normally don’t post comments but I had to say something. It would be difficult for an American to come to Canada as a refugee or asylum-seeker (not impossible, but difficult). But to come as an immigrant, there is a process, just like Birdcage said. Very possible. It is primarily a points-based system. So many points for language, education, skills, family connections, … And, of course, much easier if you have a job lined up. But there are ways…. Not to worry…
Thanks guys! ?
That makes me feel better, at least–you know, something to hold onto! Not planning to immigrate–tho joked about it thru the last pres election–but its nice to know there’s the option if things get *beyond* bad here.?
For me, I’m hoping it’s a little easier. From what I read, since my mom was still a Canadian citizen when I was born in the US, I think I can just apply for a citizenship certificate then get my passport. I call it my exit plan if things go south here. Plus I’m getting close to retirement so retiring in Canada is preferably to retiring in the US. I’m sending off my application this month so wish me luck!
AJ, I’m sure you could find some Canadian peeps to testify to your worthiness.
I voted this morning!! And, love these precious furries!
I was hoping we’d see stoats today, and Mike, your literary prowess is once again perfectly suited to the ideal picture! I sent my absentee ballot off, albeit late. But I voted and if it comes down to a race too close to call, maybe I’ll feel that my vote really counted for something!
thank heavens for early voting here in Georgia.
Friend, who’s African american,, said that it took him SIX hours to vote due to the identity authorization/voter suppression. Or to be blunt, Jim Crow cr@p.
If that was happening in another country we’d be all over that cr@p, but not here! Can’t believe how many voting poling places have been shut down, and how many voters have been purged from registration on the flimsiest of pretexts. I wish we had manditory voting–like many other countries–and everyone who possibly could had the day off to vote!
In Australia voting is mandatory and elections are on Saturdays. Polls tend to be at schools and such like here, so orgs set up charity weenie roasts next to the lines to fundraise. They call them “Democracy Sausage.”
???
I’m in Georgia and I hope there is none of that nonsense when I go to vote after work. I have a valid Driver’s License and no worries about misspellings or in accurate information so I feel I should be already. Cross your fingers for the Itty, Bitty, African-American lady in Georgia.
You go girl!?? (no finger crossing emoji!)
Yeah Jendeyan!!! Good luck and hope all goes smoothly.
I hope voting goes smoothly for you, Jendeyan!
Read that the ACLU and league of women voters are sending out volunteers to also help with that nonsense here.
Absolutely insane. We can’t keep other nations from hacking into the election but at least we can keep little old ladies and gentlemen with shakey handwriting whose T’s look like I’s from voting in person.
Fingers and toes crossed—and can I just say that I’m hopping mad that you have to think about that stuff to cast your vote? New York has some pretty archaic rules for registration and voting in primaries and choosing a party affiliation, but at least we’re not systematically disenfranchising people of color. What century is this?!?
Stoat, stoat, stoat, cast your leetle vote …
I am reading It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis (came across a stripped copy while organizing my fiction books and it seemed…timely) and just over lunch read the part of the candidate’s platform that says blacks won’t be allowed to vote (or have decent jobs). That’s set in the 1930s.
Yaaa-aaaY!
How did it go, Jendeyan? Sending you much support from California.
North Dakota was trying to disenfranchise Native Americans based on some BS of not having a “proper street address” on the reservation. PO Boxes were fine in previous years and then this year it was changed. See the link for more details – https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/midterms-2018/north-dakota-native-american-voter-suppression-heidi-heitkamp-latest-judge-ruling-a8616426.html.
But it seems that backfired and people are turning out in record numbers to vote. Some articles stated that tribal elders would be at the polls with tribe letterhead to povide proof of street addresses on the spot. Other tribes were using satelite images to determine what house were in each polling district then using the polling site’s address with a unique qualifier to give an address to each house – ie 156 SW Bluebell Street-01, 156 SW Bluebell Street-02, etc.
Good for them and I hope they get that law overturned. As someone else mentioned, if that crap was taking place overseas, we’d have observers and all matter of pundits shaking their heads at the corruption of the democratic process. But since it takes place here and it mostly affects Democrats and minorities, it’s suddenly okay.
Yeah, things are bad out there. Ex-cons who have paid their debt to society still can’t vote in Kentucky. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/04/us/felony-vote-disenfranchisement-kentucky-florida.html. Same in Iowa and Florida.
Fortunately, there’s a VERY popular constitutional amendment on the ballot to restore full voting rights to virtually ALL ex-felons here in Florida. The current governor’s shenanigans with the “clemency commission” have helped change a lot of people’s minds, I suspect.
That’s good to hear. I’m not up to date on Iowa, but Kentucky looks like a mess, even though a few people have had their rights restored.
I voted two weeks ago by mail. I love being able to research the candidates for the lesser-known positions and really cast my vote knowledgeably. And our board of elections includes an “I voted (by mail)” sticker with my ballot, which I like.
We had one strange discovery when we got our ballots: our local congressional race wasn’t on it, anywhere. My husband called the board of elections and was told that she had no opponent so won by default. He asked, “What if I want to write in a name?” And the worker told him that people have to *preregister* to be a write-in candidate, and nobody had preregistered! So I guess Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse have to appear at the board of elections if I want to write their name in???
The NY ballots were confusingly laid out, IMO. I triple-checked my ballot before submitting it to the scanner.
I miss those clunky old voting machines we use to have. Filling in ovals as though a ballot were an SAT is not nearly so satisfying. But at least there are no chads, dangling or otherwise.
We have the ones with buttons and you select what you want and then when you’re done you hit the ‘cast vote’ button and hear a “thunk” as it locks it in and clears all the little Xs for the next person.
Yes! I much prefer those clunky old voting machines.
I told my friends through multiple media that if they don’t vote I’m going to eat their faces. I’ve been getting a trickle of texted photos of “I VOTED” stickers. Never have I been so happy to go hungry.
Young people have been turning out in far greater numbers than in previous midterm elections. There’s been a similar surge in first-time voters and new registrations. Early votes have in many states outnumbered total votes from 2014. I have high hopes but still really, really wish I were high.
Blue, for just a moment I misread faces as faeces. I need to slow down…
I stoated, I mean voted, early. No kidding. At our county clerk’s office, I kept saying under my breath, “vote, vote, vote! Like a baby stoat!” The person in front of me looked at me as if I was nuts.
I’m curious if any polling places have big photo setups. Saw that a few years ago where you can take selfies for social media and just about fell over.
Imagining the nongenarians at my polling place trying to put that up. “Pict of gram?”
I’ve never seen that, but my polling place is at iPlay America so you can go down to the bar when you’re done. (Or play some games, I guess.)
I always vote early at the county board of elections office, and they have a selfie station! I think it helps discourage people from taking pics while actually voting, which is often illegal, if there’s a cute voting backdrop for your post-voting selfies by the exit.
I was happy to see a good turnout at my polling place about an hour ago. Of course I voted, and I even did the stoat chant (with accompanying dance moves). Got some smiles!
I voted already from all the way up in the frozen north of Canada (international voting by mail.) Getting everything on time was nail-biting with the Canadian postal service strike. It cost me $45 in rush shipping charges and an argument with a Canadian Fed-ex worker about the monetary value of a US ballot to get my vote in on time but it should be in on time. Assuming nothing more happens with the Canadian postal service
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I did the same thing, Recherche! But like I told the young trainee at the Austrian Postamt, I was willing to spend the money because this is an IMPORTANT election!
Thank you Recherche and N. Fritz for your dedication to making sure your vote counts. It looks like we’ll need all the votes we can get this time around.
Absolutely! Thanks for going that extra mile! (or thousand? +)
Ditto Ditto! Thank You!
Oh for heavens sakes, after all of this I find out that my ballot didn’t even leave Canada until the day it was supposed to arrive in the US and it’s still not even in the right state on the day of the election after it should have arrived. I swear I am going to storm the Canadian post office with a pitchfork and torch. Despite not actually owning a pitchfork.
The leetle baby stoats’ cuteness made me gasp, which is NOT advisable when drinking hot tea.
I’m glad, though, that those babies are not outside my place today, as a new neighbour has moved in across the back. Gorgeous as he is, I don’t think Mr. Barred Owl would tolerate a bunch of these running rampant on his front yard.
See if I can post a pic… nope. I sent Mike a copy, maybe he can sneak it in.
On the other hand, this year’s baby squirrels have obviously not been warned by mommy about owls, because one of them scampered to the branch just underneath the owl, stood on its hind legs with one front paw on the trunk for balance, and started sniffing at Mr. Owl, who was less than six inches away. The owl bent down and looked at the squirrel, not moving. Then one of the other babies tagged the first one, and they all ran down the tree trunk. The owl kept a sharp eye on them, but he didn’t move.
Lucky babies. Maybe Mr. Owl wasn’t hungry just then.
Here’s the photo of Mr. Owl:
Mr. Owl looks serious, but beautiful! Squirrels better be careful–or fast!?
Gorgeous owl!!!! So lucky to have one in your backyard.
Awesome neighbor to have, Duckie! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks, Mike. I told Mr. Owl he can sleep in my den during the day. He blinked solemnly at me.
The rest of you can sleep there, too, AFTER you vote vote vote!
(No stoat emoji)
Does he know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
*GASP* Beautiful barred owl!!!!!! I love owls so much.
Ohhhooohhhh! Your tree neighbour is gorgeous Duckie!!
Duckie – haven’t you learned by now that you should never look at this site and drink something at the same time? You have snorted just about every concoction I can imagine!?
Not yet.
?
I was hoping for stoats. We OG Cute Overloaders will never forget our stoats! I have been muttering the phrase, “Vote! Vote! Vote! Like a baby stoat!” under my breath for a month! I early voted for the first time. I was struck by the speed of which it went and the general jolly atmosphere. Every time a new voter came in there were shouts of “First Time Voter!” and everyone would clap and cheer. My normal polling place has never been that crowded or particularly slow but there has been some informal peer pressure to vote early among my friends so I thought this was as good a time as any to try it.
That’s kind of adorable. Love that idea of applauding for first timers.
It was. And I like that it kind of kept tension out of the air. At least that’s the best way I can put words to it. It helped to keep the focus on your right and privilege to vote instead of who are you there to vote for. I think that’s important. Let’s keep our political fighting to bars and family tables where it belongs ?
That’s delightful! I can totally see it.
This was my first time voting in my new town – it’s much larger than my previous town, but still has that small-town vibe. And stickers.
I voted as soon as early voting began! I can never watch/listen to election night coverage; it makes me a nervous wreck! I will just keep my fingers crossed that some sanity will be returned to our politics!
Same here! Let’s just say that during that infamous night in 2016, I drank more wine and ate more M&M’s than I care to remember. ?
I drank an ungodly amount of whiskey and spent the next work day significantly less effective than normal.
Went to bed early and prayed that I’d wake up to a miracle
Heh…I went to bed slightly later than I should, with a very uneasy feeling about all the red on the map, and woke up to the radio DJ saying “if you haven’t heard…”; sat up in bed, and said out loud to no one, “are you f***ing kidding me?”
Yeah, so did I. My Australian houseguest had to break the news to me the next morning. NYC was like a ghost town for several days. Every face I saw was grey. Literally. As in, *not* figuratively. It was so strange.
The day after the 2016 election, I got the results in a text from a friend while riding the bus to work; I was in shock for the rest of the day.
I watched the official announcement live with my Austrian students in 2016. Spent the rest of the day trying to explain to literally everyone (students, colleagues, friends) how that happened!
I was at home watching it (well, refreshing the NY Times page) with my roommates. Since we’re in California, it wasn’t even that late. When it was called, I finished my bourbon and went to bed in shock. I went to work (at a university) the next day, but it was a ghost town. One of the professors said, “I thought about wearing black today. I don’t know how we’re going to make it through.” I basically did nothing but read the news at my desk all day.
I had my I Voted sticker upside down on my filing cabinet until I moved cubicles a few months ago. Then it was in a little organizer thing on my desk and I debated putting it back up but I finally just tossed a couple weeks ago. Now I have a new one. We’ll see which way it goes. I’ll admit I haven’t been watching election results. I will listen to the NPR Politics podcast tomorrow morning (they’re planning to do an episode later tonight). The only news I saw tonight was the “America Strong” segment on ABC News which featured a two-year-old boy going around to complete strangers at a bluegrass festival in Atlanta and giving them hugs (his dad was watching/filming and you can see his mom in the video following him). It was the cutest thing and made me happy.
Voted today. Was on the inactive list, because I refuse to fill out the darn invasive question form the town sends out every year. Took a bit longer, had to see ‘the warden’ and show proof of address which was easy with my driver’s license.
Lived at this same address for 12+ years now.
More rain today. I think it’s rained for something like 9 of the last 12 days. At least it isn’t snow – yet – but they are talking rain and snow showers for next week here in coastal MA.
I just need to remember to sign my full name when I go. The signature in their book is from when I was 17 and I signed my full First Middle Last name (I don’t know why). Normally I just sign First M. Last and that’s what I did last time without thinking about it. They just made me re-sign it but who knows, these days. (My handwriting is completely different now, too, but I try to at least make the initials look somewhat like I did them back then. My initial caps are not proper cursive letters, anymore.)
Good for you for persevering!
Colorado has mail in voting, so I dropped off my ballot weeks ago. Kind of feel like I’m missing out today. Keeping all the paws crossed at my house—I’ll never face another election day without mentally revisiting the 2016 election.
I meant to get a mail ballot but I missed the deadline to request it. Maybe next time (she said last time).
It’s been raining all day, and last time I went to vote it was also pouring rain. Hopefully that is not some kind of omen.
I do get to vote for the guy who was everyone’s favorite teacher in high school. He’s running for the board of ed for the local high school district (unopposed, so I guess it doesn’t matter if I actually check his name or not). There’s also someone I worked with briefly in the bookstore years ago running for …something local I can’t think of right now. She was involved in local politics back then so I’ve seen her name pop up on a few ballots.
It stopped raining (mostly) by the time I got to the polls. 🙂
We’re at 73 comments–I guess we all really need talk it out and find safe comfort. 🙂 I love this space, thanks Mike.
LOL, a little quiet discussion of voter suppression, asylum in Canada, and heavy drinking!
And nobody got called a ‘snowflake’!
Nice. Gotta love John Cleese.
I’m just a regular flake. 🙂
Yay for Wyuzidi!
Sorry I accidentally deleted my post. Here it is again.
What a good Kitizen.
Yeah, that expression makes me wonder about his exit poll answers. And where you’ll find them.
That’s my cat judging me for my voting mistake today.
In California we insert the card into this weird metal booklet thing, and we would turn the pages and tap answers with a special pen. With all the referendums, etc, it took me almost 10 minutes to make the tens of choices, even though I came prepared with a voting guide.
And wouldn’t you know it, on one of the choices I tapped both yes and no (the choices are on adjacent rows). Luckily it was for county assessor or something like that. The people at the polls assured me rest of my choices would still count.
[hangs head in shame]
I voted; no stoats but there was a kid in a Guy Fawkes mask.
Then I stopped for a turkey & provolone sub at the shop on the corner by my complex. Tonight’s plan: watch the first hour of Dancing with the Stars that I missed last night, drown my eyes in eye drops, and try to go to bed a little early so I can have time to get gas on my way to work tomorrow.
Ah, my dear Cutetropolians, once again you prove that Cutetroplis is the only place on the internet where it’s safe to read the comments!
I hope our Georgian friend has no trouble getting her vote in, and those tribal elders succeed with assigning addresses, that we don’t have reasons for heavy drinking, more first time voters get cheers, and all our absentee friends’ ballots arrive safely and swiftly.
I voted this morning and was so encouraged to see the poll volunteers – three senior citizens and three high school students, working side by side.
I educated myself for this election more thoroughly than any election before. I feel much more confident! And! I got to vote for a young man of color for school board, who wants to increase in-school mental health resources for LGBTQ youth. Never would have known if I hadn’t researched it.
Here in Berkshire County we voted on hospital staffing rules (that’s gotten rancorous, with both sides claiming that nurses support them); a bill stating that money isn’t speech and corporations aren’t people; and a bill to protect transgender people’s right to use the restroom that fits their identity. Actually it’s a broader set of protections, but the naming process seems to have stopped at “bathroom bill.”
Commenting again at 8:07 pm MST–rereading everybody’s contributions is helping my morale. Off to do some knitting with an audiobook (Goblet of Fire) so that I don’t keep refreshing the election results page of my fave political website.
10:09 PM ET Polls closing. Ready to watch an unhealthy amount of cable news.
Uh oh… https://www.buzzfeed.com/samir/dogs-that-voted ?
Checks and balances = restored.
Faith in people = restored.
Faith in polling/math/reality = restored.
Thank you everyone who had voted!
Checks and balances! Thank you founding fathers.
One of the headlines in one of my local papers was “Balance of power upended in Washington…” Umm, “upended?” I believe the word you’re looking for is “restored.” Sheesh.
Thankfully it seems things might be righting itself and hopefully, we as a country can try and be a little more bi-partisan. Only race I’m pissed about is a local one in SoCal. A Congressional Rep is under indictment, ran a virulent anti-muslim campaign against his opponent and it looks like he has won the election. And oh yes, does it surprise you that he’s Republican?? Only thing I can hope happens is that he’s found guilty, goes to jail, then they have to have another election and his opponent finally wins. Look up Duncan Hunter to get all the details. Just shaking my head, and unfortunately he wasn’t in my district so I couldn’t vote against him.
The vaping bro whose checking account had been overdrawn hundreds of times due to wild overspending, yes.
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/08/indicted-pol-blames-wife-complains-about-usd174-000-salary.html
winning is actually the worst thing for him, you just know everything’s going to implode if he continues the way he has.
Here in MN we have early voting and I’m so glad a did that. Not by mail, no ballot to request ahead of time. Just walk in and do it! I did find it odd that we had to fill in a form before we got the ballot to fill in, but, well, okay. Then I asked if–since now I’ve voted–can I stop seeing all of the horrible, constant T.V. ads. I just know–with all the existing technology–there’s got to be a way. Unfortunately, no, except don’t turn on the T.V. So I didn’t yesterday until the late local news. I was happy with most of the results. Just glad this election is over.
Now they all need to take down their little roadside signs!