OK--the bad news is that Florida really botched up the election process this year. Folks had to wait in line sometimes as long as six or seven hours to cast their ballots. At almost every turn officials messed things up. The number of early voting days were cut short. Polling places were eliminated. There weren't enough machines for tabulating the votes on hand at the polls. It was a mess.
But here's the good news--people really did wait in line for six or seven hours to vote! People cared enough to stick with it, even when it was uncomfortable. Here on Sanibel a whole slew of voters got caught in a downpour as they waited outside. Lunch time came and went for many. Stomachs growled, but for the most part, people didn't. They read books, they chatted with their neighbors. A local pizza place brought some pies to those who were in line.
There is no question, Florida needs to get this straightened out. Being the laughingstock of the nation is not very pleasant! Our elected and appointed officials need to figure out what went wrong and then they need to correct it. No ifs, ands or buts about it!
But in the meantime we can celebrate the sense of civic responsibility evidenced by so many Floridians! I'm not proud to be from Florida right at the moment--but I am proud of my fellow Floridians who decided that voting was and is worth the hassle.
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