6th ward early voting

9200 Sixth Ward early voters and 1000 people early voted on the last day according the 6th Ward Alderman and Democratic committeeman Freddrenna Lyle. From her email blast:

I arrived at the Whitney Young Library at 6:00 p.m. on 10/30/08 and there were lines on both sides of the front door; all the seats in the polling area were taken and another 100 people were in the library in chairs and sitting on the floor among the book stacks. (Talk about a civics lesson for the children using the library!) It was absolutely unbelievable! There were 9 voting booths all occupied. About 7:30 p.m. two additional machines arrived. It was after 11 p.m. before the last of 1000 plus persons finished voting.

Some of those voters had gone to Young Library on other days and didn't have time to wait. So they returned on Friday to even longer lines. The ballot was still long; people without Palm Cards (sample ballots) still took 15 mins. or longer to vote; the room was still tiny and thus the 3-6 hour wait. Some left and returned; went to McD's and returned; sent someone for food and coffee; and others just endured the long wait patiently because they wanted to be a part of history.

I talked to retirees, teachers, a doctor, police officers, homemakers, students, folks looking for jobs, and folks who had long ago stopped looking for jobs and most said they would wait all night if necessary. Phenomenal, awe inspiring, as the kids say it was the bomb! The talking heads bet on folks not coming out to vote. Tuesday night they'll realize how terribly wrong they were. The people I saw at the library waiting were people on a mission.