User profile: turtlegirl

I think limiting parking on Avenue B is a fantastic idea, and they should have done that years ago. It's one of the few shady spots to watch the parade, yet you can't see it because of all the vehicles parked between the shade and the street. The entire parade route should have no parking, except for maybe in front of houses/apartments that don't have alley parking, or other available off-street parking. There is a lot of off-street parking available on or very near the Avenue B route. You can always drop your stuff and people off from your car at your selected spot to watch, just don't park there!

The Democratic caucus in Boulder City was well-organized with minimal confusion. My precinct, with 107 voters plus their kids, shared a gym with another precinct with what I would estimate a larger turnout. Entering the school grounds, there were maps of the precincts, lists of registered voters and which precinct they were in, and people helping direct where on the campus each precinct would go to. The only confusion in finding the caucus was that the caucus was not at the school we usually vote at. Yet, being Boulder City, the caucus site was simply across the street from our usual polling place.

The caucus itself went well, but the acoustics of the gym, the number of milling people chatting, and a second precinct also trying to do their own caucus, made it difficult to hear the instructions. But there were enough volunteers helping out to answer my questions on what to do next. This included answering questions on what happened with voters for unqualified candidates, and let me determine my voting strategy before the voting happened. I was initially undecided, leaning towards a candidate, and I enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to discuss my concerns and ask questions with people supporting the various candidates.

I wasn't sure when the caucus actually ended. My kids were getting restless, so I asked if we were done, and was told they were just verifying the results, but the unofficial tally was so many votes for Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and Richardson (unqualified, had to vote a second time).

All in all a pleasant experience - mostly because it was refreshing to see so many people interested enough in the future of this country to spend a few hours in a middle school gym. I'd still prefer a primary, as I had to schedule around it. I was told the state said they wouldn't fund a primary election, so that's why we are doing caucuses now?