Election Day
Hey, hey, my submitted Voting Story and pictures are on the News24 website, under the heading "Voting in Pinetown, KZN" (above 5 entries down the page). Here's an expanded version of that same personal account:
Despite it being a public holiday yesterday, I still got up at my normal weekday time (6:20am), so I could be at my closest electoral station when voting for South Africa's third proper national, and provincial, elections started at 7am.
We arrived at Benjamin Pine Primary School just before 7am to find a surprisingly long queue snaking around the school parking area and then halfway up the driveway. The queue moved pretty quickly however, with my voting process over in just 50 minutes. Obviously people's experiences at other stations varied, even at this early hour of the morning - I know voters who were finished within 5-10 minutes, while others took over 2 hours to mark their "X."
Bet you've never seen so many white South Africans together at one time, at one place, that ISN'T a rugby match?:)
Anyway, the electoral staff at the Benjamin Pine station were very pleasant and friendly, and the voters around me seemed happy and chatty despite the Winter chill. I'd taken my iPod along for good measure, but I didn't need it seeing as I was next to family friends in the queue.
Apart from seeing the police and an electoral officer going to investigate claims that ANC reps were politicising at the top of the driveway, there were no negative incidents to mark my 2009 voting experience. The entire process certainly seemed to go a lot faster than in 2004, and it felt generally more well organised - even if 5 years ago I did only arrive to vote at the venue in the mid-morning.
I felt really motivated to get up early this year and cast my vote. I hope it makes a difference for my chosen party. After voting I felt that same positive buzz I normally feel after going to church on Christmas Eve. Voting closed at 9pm last night and since then the vote count has started. I'm, of course, nervously anticipating the final results. After all, they will be playing a large part in determining my future in this country.
Anyway, with my voting over by 8am I had the whole day ahead of me. I made constructive use of the morning, finally beginning the process of putting all the guide leaflets, ticket stubs, and assorted miscellaneous bits and pieces from my 2008 European holiday in a nice neat file (I'm not a scrapbooker!). I'd been procrastinating about the task since October last year, but once I got started, it went surprisingly quickly. I'm hoping to finish this evening.
In the afternoon we had our rescheduled Dungeons & Dragons tabletop gaming session. The highlight of the game (well, for me anyway), was doing 102 points of damage with a single blow of my greatsword. Basically we were taking back a palace that had been infested with demons, and in the process we came face-to-face with a succubus - henceforth to be known as the succubitch.
The succubitch wasn't actually that tough an opponent, but she had the annoying habit of running away and healing herself. So when we did find her again Herkon ran up to her with all his ability buffs and paladin powers (including Smite, Divine Might, Bless Weapon and Improved Crit) in place. What a time to roll a 20 on a 20-sided dice. The succubitch went down... in pieces. And the bard in our party has been merrily spreading the tale of Herkon the Magnificent ever since.
And apart from a bit of fishing and money-making in World of WarCraft and some reading, that was my 2009 election day.
Despite it being a public holiday yesterday, I still got up at my normal weekday time (6:20am), so I could be at my closest electoral station when voting for South Africa's third proper national, and provincial, elections started at 7am.
We arrived at Benjamin Pine Primary School just before 7am to find a surprisingly long queue snaking around the school parking area and then halfway up the driveway. The queue moved pretty quickly however, with my voting process over in just 50 minutes. Obviously people's experiences at other stations varied, even at this early hour of the morning - I know voters who were finished within 5-10 minutes, while others took over 2 hours to mark their "X."
Bet you've never seen so many white South Africans together at one time, at one place, that ISN'T a rugby match?:)
Anyway, the electoral staff at the Benjamin Pine station were very pleasant and friendly, and the voters around me seemed happy and chatty despite the Winter chill. I'd taken my iPod along for good measure, but I didn't need it seeing as I was next to family friends in the queue.
Apart from seeing the police and an electoral officer going to investigate claims that ANC reps were politicising at the top of the driveway, there were no negative incidents to mark my 2009 voting experience. The entire process certainly seemed to go a lot faster than in 2004, and it felt generally more well organised - even if 5 years ago I did only arrive to vote at the venue in the mid-morning.
I felt really motivated to get up early this year and cast my vote. I hope it makes a difference for my chosen party. After voting I felt that same positive buzz I normally feel after going to church on Christmas Eve. Voting closed at 9pm last night and since then the vote count has started. I'm, of course, nervously anticipating the final results. After all, they will be playing a large part in determining my future in this country.
Anyway, with my voting over by 8am I had the whole day ahead of me. I made constructive use of the morning, finally beginning the process of putting all the guide leaflets, ticket stubs, and assorted miscellaneous bits and pieces from my 2008 European holiday in a nice neat file (I'm not a scrapbooker!). I'd been procrastinating about the task since October last year, but once I got started, it went surprisingly quickly. I'm hoping to finish this evening.
In the afternoon we had our rescheduled Dungeons & Dragons tabletop gaming session. The highlight of the game (well, for me anyway), was doing 102 points of damage with a single blow of my greatsword. Basically we were taking back a palace that had been infested with demons, and in the process we came face-to-face with a succubus - henceforth to be known as the succubitch.
The succubitch wasn't actually that tough an opponent, but she had the annoying habit of running away and healing herself. So when we did find her again Herkon ran up to her with all his ability buffs and paladin powers (including Smite, Divine Might, Bless Weapon and Improved Crit) in place. What a time to roll a 20 on a 20-sided dice. The succubitch went down... in pieces. And the bard in our party has been merrily spreading the tale of Herkon the Magnificent ever since.
And apart from a bit of fishing and money-making in World of WarCraft and some reading, that was my 2009 election day.
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