Scenes From A Poll: Somerville

Location: Davis Square

Time: 12:30pm

This is the infamous precinct that everyone is talking about – on Twitter and Facebook, at least, and in coffee shops around Davis Square. As reported in short by the likes of Globe writer Maria Sacchetti, who wrote that she waited in line for two hours, it is indeed a mess, and was still that way when I showed up this afternoon. Despite the chill, people in the queue aren't all that unhappy though; kids are playing game on their tablets, adults are chatting, and work calls are being made.

Not like I want to make them unhappy, but those voting in Davis do have reason for legitimate concern. It seems that their polling station is woefully inefficient, likely the combined result of an inadequate physical location, slow workers, and who the fuck knows? The guy sitting next to me while I'm writing this says that he waited for two hours, and that when he went to vote, only three of the eight booths were being used. I don't think he's exaggerating; at 12:30pm, only 863 ballots had been cast there.