Board of Election Commissioners

I was drafted last summer to manage a campaign for a friend. To my surprise everyone i talked to in person and over the phone was very cordial and helpful… making the process less daunting. The only drawback was accessibility, unfortunately you can’t do everything over the phone and internet, i had to take the El downtown to avoid paying an arm and a leg for parking.

I wanted to add an update to my review on 11÷4÷2014. Kelly Ackerman did listen to my voice mail regarding my complaint and called me back. Ms. Ackerman was very understanding, and told me she investigated and rectified the issues. She also said she would do a follow-​up before the next (Feb. 2015 mayoral election) election to make sure everything goes smoothly. I have to say I greatly appreciate her time and understanding and how quickly she addressed my concerns. I look forward to a smooth voting experience going forward.

They have plenty of voter booths set up so while the line may have been long the wait wasn’t. There were also plenty of people on hand to assist if needed. The service was pleasant enough.

Early voting is where it’s at. Now, on to the PARTY! And hoping against hope for my desired outcome.

SUGGESTION:
Election Judges should:
1. be awake even when the polls open. Coffee should be provided.
2. be a cut above a McDonald’s drop-​out.
3. know alphabetical order.
3. know the difference between a first and last name.
I was 5^th in line to vote this morning when the polls opened at 6:00 a.m. My election judge was a sweet old gal who asked me how I was feeling this morning; I said I was fine and asked her how she was feeling. She lamented that «dis baby ain’t had no joe yet.»
She was looking through the voter registration rolls with great frustration.
«Baby, I cain’t find yo name.»
«Why not?»
«Ain’t no Michael’s on my list like dat,» (pointing to my first name on my drivers’ license).
«Hun, that’s my first name. You have to look under S.»
«S for Michael?» No, baby, dat wrong. Yo name start with M.”
«But my last name starts with S. You have to look under S.»
«Oh, yeah.»
She looked more. Couldn’t find it. She was looking at the Sx’s, Sys and Sz’s. My last name is an Sw.
«Hmmm, not there.»
«You’re looking past the W’s.»
Staring. Flipping through the pages. «Yo name start with S.»
«the Sw’s, hun.
She found it, finally. «Damn, no lie. Oh. There it is.»
Get dis baby some joe!

I early voted yesterday for the presidential primary and I don’t know what took me so long to journey on over to the Lincoln Park Library and vote! It was so easy! There were no lines! I think it took longer to walk from the El stop to the library than it did to actually vote, and now I don’t have to worry about rushing to vote on Tuesday. Yay for early voting! And yay for the Board of Election for giving Chicagoans lots of voting options!

Over the years, I’ve always voted absentee ballots before becoming a licensed Illinoisan. I’ve never voted physically at the place where and when you’re supposed to. After updating my voter registration card and information, I voted early in the presidential primary over at Access Living. I had the best experience there. The voting staff is extremely nice and helpful. At 10:30a.m., there were no lines and I was shuffled through the different desks of registration quickly. The guy in charge of the touchscreen was extremely nice and explained the process to me. I completed the voting process in no time and received my receipt saying that I couldn’t participate in the general election which is no matter because I’ll be out of state next week. I can’t say enough nice things about the voting judges at Access Living. They were great and helpful. Also, thanks to Chicago for allowing to vote early and still be part of the electorate while on vacation. After becoming a voting Chicagoan, I headed to Pearl to stock up on acrylic yarn for baby hats.

Is it weird to review a voting office? Eh, I don’t really care, they deserve 5 stars anyway. Today was the last day of the grace period and when I walked into a really long line I thought I would be there forever. However, the line moved so fast and the staff was so helpful and actually seemed to like their jobs. I was in and out in under 15 minutes including voting time. Way to go city!

While the 600 suite offices aren’t much to look at, and the signage didn’t seem to make much sense for today’s purposes, the staff were efficient and friendly. I had visions of the DMV dancing in my head when I went to register today, last day of the «grace period.» But as soon as I walked in, a woman at the information desk asked how she could help me. After I told her and before she could point me in the right direction, a man behind the registration counter said he could help me. Instead of being transferred to another staff member at each stage of the registration process, my guy Frank helped me throughout the entire process.
Good job to the alert and upbeat staff at the Board of Election Commissioners!