Note: I’ve been moving all of my local political writing from here at California Faultline directly to KNBC’s new site, NBC Los Angeles.
In spite of an anticipated 4 hour plus wait, voters outside of the L.A. County Registrar/Recorders Office on Sunday were surprisingly jovial. Many had come prepared with chairs, mp3 players, and books, but most seemed to be caught up in conversation struck up with fellow Angelenos they had only just met in line.
In a highly unofficial survey, I tried to find out who’d read the most while waiting in line, and was usually disappointed to hear people had only read a couple pages, or in the case of Marie from Bell, had “read the same page seven times.”
The winner was Edana Almanza (above), who’d read through over 200 pages of “Breaking Dawn,” one of the novels in the “Twilight” series. The mother of three came to Norwalk with her husband Matt because she couldn’t find a babysitter for Tuesday.
While most voters were aware that their employers were required to give paid time off to vote, none seemed aware of the express ballot option that would have allowed them to simply call in and reserve a ballot, thus saving them hours in line (if only they’d read NBC Los Angeles more often).
Actor Eric ### rolled up and asked for suggestions where to park, but considered coming back Monday after hearing of the long wait in line.
This motley crew of new friends were among 10 people who’d sent another man out on a McDonalds run.
Possibly the most depressing sight all day: “Waiting Period from This Point Is 3 Hours” greets voters into the tent after standing in line for over 2 hours, although staff members said most people would finish much quicker. Once inside, voters waited for their number to be called. When “666″ was announced, the entire tent erupted with applause.
