Just to share a Dominican voter's experience this past Sunday...I arrived at my voting place (Colegio San Juan Bautista) at 9:25 a.m. and promptly located my voting table (0265B) in the roofed back yard of the school (nice and cool in the shade) in Bella Vista, right behind Bella Vista Mall, in a well-to-do neighborhood of Santo Domingo.
There were two lines in each voting table, one for males and one for females, the female one being about twice as long (supposedly, females went early in the morning so they could finish promptly and go back home to cook the noon meal--sorry about this machista reality of our culture). For every male, two females were let register and vote. The process was well-organized and not a hardship at all. I had previously checked my status by internet and had my numbered position in the voters' printout and gave this number to those in charge to make things easier and quicker.
Upon presenting my 'cedula' (national i.d. card) I was given the voting form from which I could chose any of 10 candidates and proceeded to the voting booth to mark block no. 21 (Frente Nacional Progresista with Leonel Fernandez as its candidate) and put it into the ballot box. Immediately thereafter I signed the printout next to a copy of my cedula and photo and was marked with indellible ink in my right forefinger (to avoid attempting to vote again if holding a second i.d.). I was out by 10 a.m. In 35 minutes I had done the supreme duty of citizens of countries where democracy has some kind of presence. It felt good, especially after voting for the correct and winning candidate.
There were two lines in each voting table, one for males and one for females, the female one being about twice as long (supposedly, females went early in the morning so they could finish promptly and go back home to cook the noon meal--sorry about this machista reality of our culture). For every male, two females were let register and vote. The process was well-organized and not a hardship at all. I had previously checked my status by internet and had my numbered position in the voters' printout and gave this number to those in charge to make things easier and quicker.
Upon presenting my 'cedula' (national i.d. card) I was given the voting form from which I could chose any of 10 candidates and proceeded to the voting booth to mark block no. 21 (Frente Nacional Progresista with Leonel Fernandez as its candidate) and put it into the ballot box. Immediately thereafter I signed the printout next to a copy of my cedula and photo and was marked with indellible ink in my right forefinger (to avoid attempting to vote again if holding a second i.d.). I was out by 10 a.m. In 35 minutes I had done the supreme duty of citizens of countries where democracy has some kind of presence. It felt good, especially after voting for the correct and winning candidate.