An Easy Early-Voting Maze at Bur-Mil Park

Earlier this evening, I decided to vote early. The only thing that took a long time was driving from High Point Central High School to Bur-Mil Park.

Arriving some time after 6:00 PM, I parked and walked toward the building that I believe is referred to as the clubhouse. As I got closer, I stopped to take a card from a man seated out front. It was a business card for Teresa Sue Bratton, MD, the only candidate represented by more than a sign stuck in the ground. (I didn't take time to count, but there were a lot of signs lining the path to the clubhouse.)

Catching up with the one lady in front of me, we both ventured to the right toward the front entrance, only to be greeted by a sign indicating that we needed to go around to the back. I voted at Bur-Mil once before, and if I remember correctly, I entered the front way the last time. While there were signs pointing to the left of the building, some signs seemed to be pointing toward the front entrance also, so for a brief moment, one lady and I were briefly confused. Once we figured out that we needed to follow the path to the left, we headed that way and walked around to the back. We bypassed the entrance that was set up for handicapped individuals. We then walked up the stairs and followed a mini-maze that was set up for us to follow. I'm guessing that there have been or will be times when the line meanders back to the back of that maze, but she and I just moved forward because there were no people in front of us.

Once we arrived at the large voting room, we were led to a long table behind which a few workers awaited to verify our voting status. I gave a gentleman my name and address, and then he gave me a form to sign. I then gave the form to a lady who escorted me to one of several voting machines. While I didn't have to wait in line, there were about 8-10 voting machines with individuals behind each one using the push-screen to cast their votes. I voted at the one nearest the door, so I lifted up the left side of the machine to keep my votes a secret from anyone entering while I voted. (Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one or two more people enter the voting room while I voted.) I skipped the straight-ticket option, and I voted for some Democrats, and I voted for some Republicans, but not in equal numbers. I chose not to vote for one candidate who didn't have any competition, but had there been another name on the ballot, I would have voted for his opponent. I didn't keep track of how long the entire process took, but I definitely didn't need to warm up my car by the time I returned to it. And I didn't have time to read a single word of the newspaper I carried inside in case I did have to wait in line.

Now, I just have to wait two weeks to find out if my picks win. I only voted for the best candidates, so I sure hope they win.