Sociological Observations at the Polls

I've been thinking for the past year or so that the 2008 presidential campaign has a "pop culture" feel to it. It is fashionable to vote this year.

I have mixed feelings about that.

On one hand, as a sociologist, I am aware of group dynamics and cultural trends. It doesn't surprise me or upset me that a group behavior like voting would succumb to social dynamics every once in awhile. Such phenomena is what keeps me fascinated with human behavior.

On the other hand, as a former resident of Florida, I've been waiting for 8 years for someone to do something substantial about the lack of democracy and the systematic disenfranchisement of citizens in the voting system. Basically, I still do not trust the voting system. I am curious to see how things go this time around.

I was encouraged by an article I read yesterday at a very interesting blog called FiveThirtyEight.com. But in truth, it is not enough. In my understanding of a democracy much more should have been done about the problems in the voting system and it should have been done 8 years ago.

But enough with the macro-issues. The big picture interests me, but I like to observe at the microlevel as well. I was in line this morning at 6:45a, waiting to vote. By 7:40am, I was leaving the poll, having voted. Here are some observations from the ground here in America's Playground, Las Vegas:

• I live in a mixed ethnic neighborhood that has a plurality of Latinos. The line reflected this to a tee. Spanish was definitely the predominate language in the line. The poll workers were a little more "white" than the line, but not that much.
  




• I had the feeling that most of the people in line were working people trying to vote before going to work. I assessed this because people were dressed in uniforms and work clothes and because the conversations I overheard and/or participated in were about being late for work.
  




• Because of a nerve condition in my left foot, I walk with a cane and standing is not easy for me. I had assistance both formally and informally while waiting. First, before the doors opened, a nice gentleman "saved" my place in front of him in line so I could sit down on a bench instead of standing. Then when I got into the polling area, I asked for a chair and was given one immediately. I asked to not go to the head of the line even though the option was offered to me. I sat on the chair and the nice gentlemen continued to save my place. Then, after signing in and getting my receipt, I was asked to move to the head of the line because there was only one machine available where I could sit while voting. I sat in a chair and waited for that machine to open up. In the end, I was walking out the door at about the same time as those in line near me, so I didn't feel like I was short-cutted at all. While there was a bit of an awkward feeling of being singled out to sit while others stood, all in all I felt I reasonably accommodated.
  




• There were some logistical problems that had to be solved and some people were not happy with some of the solutions. Specifically, there were two precincts at the same place and the poll workers were struggling to figure out a way to create two lines and to help people figure out which line they should be in. This got negotiated between the workers and the line. People in line were frustrated, but it seemed to me that everyone was trying to work it out. The poll workers seemed receptive and geniune in their negotiations. In short, everyone was nice in spite of the long line and some frustrations.
  




• Finally, my pop culture observations lives on. The line definitely felt like waiting for tickets for a rock concert. I don't know how early people got there, but when I arrived there was already about 30 people waiting. It didn't look like anyone camped out, but it had the feel of a consumer queue waiting for the latest whatever.

So I voted. For the first time in 12 years. I did so because I like Las Vegas and I want to be more involved in the community here. I did so because I'm teaching sociology again and I wanted to observe and comment. And okay, maybe I did so because it is the thing to do this year. I hate to admit the last part, but I wouldn't be a good sociologist if I didn't admit that having something to talk about with clients and students didn't play into it a bit.

Voting is the easy part of democracy, however. I took a few hours over the weekend and read about local judges and referrenda and then made a semi-informed decision on what I thought was best. The hard part of democracy seems elusive these days in the United States. It will be interesting to see if the hard part of being a citizen is as popular as voting.