Polling Place Photo Project

I had an email today from the AIGA informing me about the Polling Place Photo Project. Sponsored by the NY Times and the AIGA, the project asks people to submit photos they take of their voting experience. Check out this link for more info. There are already some photos posted. From the PPPP website:

The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year’s primaries, caucuses and general election. By documenting local voting experiences, participants can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.

This is such a fascinating idea. Every voting experience is so different. Oregon for example does all elections by mail. In Oregon, I studied the heavy booklet that details the many, many ballot measures and voted while sitting at the kitchen table. In Washington state, I participated in a caucus at the community center down the street. In a room filled with neighbors, people raised their hands in the air to have their vote literally counted. The (human) counter had some trouble with numbers, repeatedly miscounted. Confusion and frustration ensued. In addition to a long list of other states, California is having its state primary on Super-Duper Tuesday, February 5. I'm excited to see what voting will be like in California next week. I'm planning to walk down the street to my polling place before work, cast my vote and take a picture.