My experience of early voting in Ohio

  Perrysburg is in Wood County, Ohio, where early voting is taking place. I went to the Wood County Board of Elections this morning to vote.
  We had ice on our windshield, driving sleet and high winds, the result of catching the edge of the hurricane Sandy. 
  And it's cold. Having a 78 degree last week and a pleasantly comfortable fall, this is the first nippy air of Autumn.
  We went down to Bowling Green to vote in this weather; the Board of Elections is open 11 hours a day this week to allow voting. During the course of the 30 minutes we were waiting to turn in our ballots due to a ballot issue of our choice, from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. in this inclement weather, there was always someone else in the office voting. It's probably an exaggeration to say a "steady stream" of people, but it's true that there were at least 2 other people in the office at the same time we were there.
  This was surprising to me, considering that the weather was so bad and it was so early in the morning. A number of elderly folks were in there, but also middle aged folks.
  I asked how many people had voted early in our county along. It turns out that of the 108,014 voters, 15, 332 had already voted by Tuesday, October 30 at 9:00 a.m. 
  That's 14% of voters.
  Ohio's registered voters are split, with 37%R and 36%D. We have a Republican governor but the state went for Obama in 2008. There have been questions about voters in Ohio, and even in Wood County.
  I actually thought the whole experience was interesting; the people in the office seemed to be reliable hard working people in whom we can have confidence.
  Now about other parts of the state, it's hard to tell.
  It's also absolutely ridiculous that American ballots be printed in Spanish, in addition to English.
   I received 14, that's fourteen, mailers yesterday alone concerning politics.
  Every commercial on tv except for the Chantix chubby Hispanic lady and the fat lady who has an acid reflux elephant following her around has been about politics and most of them are from the Romney campaign. I've also been called.
  So when Dems claim that Obama has a better ground game in Ohio, eh, no. Not in Wood County.
  In an article entitled "These 8 Counties will decide the election," Business Insider says this about Wood County:

 Wood County voters don't pick parties, they pick winners. Residents of this suburban Toledo County have voted for the eventual winner in every presidential election since at least 1980. In 2004, Bush won the county over John Kerry, 53 percent to 47 percent; in 2008, Obama beat John McCain 52 percent to 46 percent, mirroring the national margin. 

In a county where independents outnumber registered party voters 2-to-1, the race will go to the candidate with the most convincing argument. 

  Admittedly I was discouraged earlier on, particularly after Harrison Rally Day, when the Romney campaign had no signs to distribute. Dems had the early game on that, as Biden signs were plentiful in yards around town.

  But now that signs are available from Romney, we have seen numerous Romney signs everywhere, along with Religious Freedom signs and a few Nobama signs.

  Interest is high in this county.

  I recently related a story of several young people who were engaged in dialogue in parking lots about their Obama bumper stickers by people whom they did not know. 

  I always thought the purpose of a bumper sticker was to tell people how you feel about some particular issue and thus perhaps open dialogue over the subject. Apparently that isn't true because it seems Obama people get mad if you question their judgment, no matter how respectfully.

  But what is most encouraging is that conservatives have emerged from their hibernation. 

  In fact, the Northwest Ohio Conservative Coalition has organized numerous events and fundraising, which is also a reflection of the highly organized Tea Parties around the state. Indeed, the networks are impressive and comprise numerous highly engaged voters who are not willing to roll over to the Obama machine anymore.

  So Bob Beckel and Juan Williams can believe whatever they want about the Obama ground game in Ohio surpassing Romney's.

  All I can say is, from my perspective, did you fellas figure in the Tea Parties?

  Cuz we're organized.

  And we vote.

  Broken glass voters, I'd say.