The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Need Help Voting? Poll Workers There to Help

Word reached the Q that a poll worker at the Jackie Robinson school, when asked how to do the paper ballot, told our neighbor to just fill in all the circles on "the left." That would be for the Democrats, folks.

And I thought I had to "choose" my candidates. Silly me.

And guess what? Same thing happened to me! I doubt that many people heard that the way it sounds -- vote for the people on the left, who happen to be the Dems. One of the strange things about voting with the paper ballots is how small everything is. And I really do feel we're trained to favor things that are on the top, or to the left, when choosing. I don't know if any solid evidence exists that placement leads to higher numbers.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Weren't the bubbles to the left of the names on the ballot? It may not have been some kind of sinister partisan persuasion...

Anonymous said...

Oh God Tim. You've gone off the deep end. Now you're suggesting poll workers influenced the election?

Next, you'll be telling us Mathieu Eugene won because poll workers told voters to vote for him. You are one pathetic man. A sore loser. May God help you.

Anonymous said...

Given the general competency of poll workers in this city, I would not be surprised at all if it actually went down as reported.

Bummed today in PLG said...

District 40 is now on the clock. We have just under 4 years to get a strong candidate to represent the people of this district. I will put my time, money and full support in to drafting Tim Thomas as that candidate!

Mr. Eugene enjoy your last few years of public office and for a change do something worthwhile for the people of District 40!

Bob Marvin said...

A poll worker where I voted seemed to tell me that I had to vote a straight party line, for whichever party I chose, upsetting because I intended to vote for one rent party candidate [guess who?].

It turned out that he meant to tell me that I couldn't vote for more than one choice for any given office, but he didn't express himself very well.

Anonymous said...

"District 40 is now on the clock. We have just under 4 years to get a strong candidate to represent the people of this district. I will put my time, money and full support in to drafting Tim Thomas as that candidate! "

A losing strategy.

babs said...

Lowest % voter turnout ever & lowest raw # voters since women won the right to vote. Very sad, and the result is incompetent elected officials like Mathieu Eugene.

Anonymous said...

I was told to fill in the bubbles when I found the person I was voting for. Another person got," You know how to fill in bubbles, right?"

I'd be more curious to know if it was the same person from one location. This reeks of an individual.

Now all that said, I'd like to imagine a world where people actually pay attention to issues and vote for what they want regardless of what anyone tells them to do. /cockeyedoptimist

Anonymous said...

Hey Anonymous at 11:08PM (November 5th): Tim Thomas has done more for PLG than Mathieu Eugene so think before you speak publicly (perhaps you've taken advice from the Eugene handbook on politics). Get your facts straight because a number of folks were misdirected by poll works on voting protocol including myself.

Additionally, if you're going to attack Tim (which you have a right to under the First Amendment, within reason) perhaps your response should have an actual connection to a comment from Tim first and the matter that is the subject of your unwarranted (clearly defensive) response.

Anon. at 9:28: YES!


Bob Marvin said...

"Tim Thomas has done more for PLG than Mathieu Eugene"

True, and I'm sure it was meant as a compliment, but. when you think about it, it's actually pretty faint praise :-)



Anonymous said...

Though it's long ways until the next election, I agree that Tim would be a strong candidate. He has already done plenty for PLG to warrant consideration, and continues to bring forth new ideas to improve the quality of life for all.