Texas Primay Election

I was all excited this morning as I headed to our new voting location since buying our house last May. The line was pleasantly short and the cold morning air crisp and fresh. With camera in tow to document for the New York Times Photo Essay I couldn't wait to see what photos I would come up with. After checking in, I decided to snap a few photos as I waited. From the depths of the whispers and early morning lull a BOOMING VOICE in a bicentennial tie called out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS IN HERE!! IT'S POSTED AT THE DOOR, NO MEDIA IS ALLOWED. YOU CAN'T DO THAT. YOU AREN'T ALLOWED! VOTING IS A PRIVATE AFFAIR." Not only was I shocked at the mere volume and tone of his serious words, but I was MORE shocked that after all this anticipation for being able to document and send in my own experience, that it all came to a screeching halt. There would be no photos of my own polling and primary experience to add. There would only be voting and leaving.

The sad thing is there is plenty of other kinds of photos to take, but I was so thrown by this man and his abruptness, that I couldn't shake it and just move on. So I voted and left. What a Debbie Downer.