I was at the polls when the opened at 6am. Took me about 30 minutes to vote, 10 of which was due to the person in front of me practicing their “Hooked on Phonics” at the voting machine reading the various ballot initiatives and referenda. Two wonderful things happened. First, I was asked to produce both photo I.D. and proof of address (hooray!), and there were partisan poll watchers from both teams who checked my name against their lists.

To some people, this would be “voter intimidation.” To me, it’s good government.

And for those who believe that touch-screen voting machines magically solve all problems, one of the five at my polling place went down in the first 25 minutes of voting this morning. I think I heard someone muttering “Control, alt, delete.”