Election roaming

Having lived in so many places, I've encountered many different kinds of polling stations. I've done the electronic thing, the ink stamp thing and the turning of the dial thing. I've cast my ballot at a person's garage, fire station, school and today, a little pizzeria on Garey Avenue.

The first time I voted for a president was in 1996. I cast my vote at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where I was studying Mandarin that year. I had to surrender my passport and go through several metal detectors before waiting in a room for my provisional ballot. It all seemed very suspicious having to write in the candidate's name on a piece of paper. I never got the "I voted" sticker that year.

In 2004, I was studying journalism in New York and voted at an elementary school in South Harlem where the room was cold and the poll workers colder . Inside the voting booths, you are ensconced in a thick curtain and the candidates names are clearly displayed next to little knobs for you to turn. Once you're done, you say, 'Yup, that is my final answer," then you use all your weight to pull on this gigantic lever that go "KLANK KLANK!" You feel like your vote counted. You feel like you made a difference.

This morning, the pizzeria where I voted was less exciting. But I was able to get a 92 cent coffee at the nearby Hamburger House -- a price that's hard to beat in New York.