Early voting in Oklahoma County

On Saturday I headed down to the Oklahoma County Election Board for early voting. Early voting took place on Friday and Saturday and will continue on Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I didn't know what I was getting in for. I thought I might get in and out in a few minutes. Instead, I found myself in a line that stretched out for at least half a mile. I arrived about ten in the morning, and about four hours later I had voted. The elections worker I asked had no idea how many people came in on Saturday, but said she thought it was more than on Friday, when 5,000 people voted.

The crowd of early voters that assembled on Saturday was predominately African American. There may have been a few McCain voters in the group, but they were probably feeling pretty lonely. Pat Reaves, who kindly provided the photos displayed in this post, said that she felt it was remarkable that people were willing to stand in line for three or four hours to vote when it was almost certain that Oklahoma's electoral votes will all go to McCain.

I found myself thinking of women like Susan B. Anthony, who worked and waited for more than sixty years without ever having the opportunity to cast a legal vote. I thought of civil rights workers in the South who risked their lives securing the right for African Americans to vote. Compared to all that, standing in line for four hours didn't seem like much trouble. There was a great sense of camaraderie among those of us waiting to vote, and I think also a sense of being part of history.
Early voting will continue tomorrow, Monday, across Oklahoma. For more information, contact your county election board or the Oklahoma State Election Board.