::with bonus celebrity sighting::

I voted at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center on West 13th St this morning. The line stretched around the corner and halfway down a block on 7th Ave when I got there, but it moved quickly. It turns out I didn’t need to wait; the line led up to a lady in a purple sweater who divided all comers into those who knew their voting district and those who had to look it up. I was relieved to find the same old mechanical voting machines with curtains that I’d used in Astoria two years ago. Several people in my line graciously got a chair for an octogenarian gentleman and let him skip to the front. When it came my turn, I parted the curtain and read the instructions: “turn the switch to the right of the name of the candidate,” I muttered, nervous that I would accidentally vote for Walt Brown the Socialist candidate by mistake.

I am disappointed to report that I received no “I Voted” sticker. After I’d finished I walked out and addressed the line: “if you know your voting district, you can skip this line,” I shouted. Barry Levinson was right in front of me, in his rose-colored glasses. He chose to stay in line.

And now we wait. Will the youth vote give Kerry a sweeping margin or are the pollsters’ predictions accurate? If it’s as close as it was in 2000, how long will we wait while the partisans litigate? I’m hoping for a sea of black hoodies at the polls.