I was just at the polls this morning...

I arrived at 6:30 in the Town of West Bend and there were 55 people ahead of me. By 7 a.m., there were 100 behind me... at least. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the beautiful morning, sipping coffee and chatting with each other.

To the credit of the township, they were very prepared.

Lists of alphabetized names hung on the wall as you entered. You were asked to check for your name to be assured you were a registered voter. This allowed the actual voting process to run smoothly and sorted out the sheep.

Instead of two tables to check in, there were four, all broken down into alphabetization of last name. Check-in was quick and organized. Voting for McCain/Palin was easy.

For an election like this, there was quite inadequate parking. The lot is very small in the Town of West Bend and the only other option is to park on Hwy. Z, a very well-traveled road. If you read this and you vote here, use extreme caution if you must park on the highway. It is extraordinarily busy today.

I did not see any poll watchers today. I am wondering why... I did this in years gone by and feel it is an important part of the voting process. I know the workers don't like it, but no harm is done and it forces accountability and ensures integrity. Just my opinion.

Unfortunately, I did not see any signs posted anywhere that reminded/informed voters about the school referendum, and the formal removal of these items from the ballot. Though it was advertised well by the school board, there will still be people that missed this information. I thought each polling place was supposed to have signs posted regarding this issue? Too bad.

I had thought more people would show up in red/white/blue. I know this is kind of cheesy, but think about former elections, photographs of days done by, etc. People were intensely patriotic. Election day sprouted multi-colored garb and American pride. I saw three people out of the 100+ wearing the tri-colored salute to the nation, myself included. Insert sad face here.

The poll workers were courteous and friendly. Overall, excellent job on the part of these people and thanks to the volunteers who worked today!