At least the next time I do exit polling I can wear shorts…

I tried reminding myself that it was a historical primary election, I'd only have to do this once every four years (depending on what form of media I choose to stay in the future) and I would soon regain feeling in my extremities but damn it, it was WAY TOO COLD for exit polling on "Chesapeake Tuesday."

We had to go out there to five different polling places and interview county residents as they exited the polls and ask them who they voted for in the presidential and District 4 election and why, what issues matter to them, etc. Though it seems like a lot, five places is actually a godsend considering that I had 30 polling places in my coverage area for the District 4 election. Unfortunately, members of the press are not allowed to be inside polling places. I literally had no choice but to stand outside and freeze my ass off. I had to blow hot air on my pen to make it write. I didn't know pen ink could freeze that fast until that day.

Oh and then one woman I was talking to at one of the Landover-area polling places gave me this awesome quote but then decided she didn't want to give me her name.

I almost cried. And I never cry.

I don't blame the people who knew why I was standing there and purposely walked around the perimeter of the mound of dirt I was standing on near the polling place entrance to avoid me. I wouldn't want to spend more time outside than I needed to if I were them. Those who did speak with me expressed how sorry they felt for me and one guy even tried adjusting my scarf so I wouldn't freeze. So that was nice.

After calling in quotes to a fellow reporter in the office compiling all our information for a web article, I had to come back to finish two other articles for deadline before heading home to Baltimore to vote but because an ice storm was moving through the metro area it took me 90 minutes to get through both I-95 and I-695. I made it to my polling place at 7:30 and the polls were supposed to close at 8 (luckily if the traffic had been worse I would've been fine since they extended the polling time to 9:30 because of the weather). My roommate Andrea waited in line some 45 minutes before being able to vote at the polling place across the street from our apartment building.

I absolutely hate ice, but like an idiot I had parked in a sheet of it because I was in such a rush to vote before the deadline. I almost slipped on GRASS before I got to the door. Grass? Really? I don't know why the weather had to be so crappy on one of the most important days of the year. Because my polling place is right next door to my house I didn't have much farther to go once I tip-toed to my car and drove out. However there was a lot of ice on the curb outside my house...which my car spun into and refused to turn the other way.

Long story short, after that long ass day I had...if you lived five seconds away from your polling place and you didn't go vote I hate you right now. A lot. I don't care if it was hailing knives you better have at least tried. Okay...done griping haha.