Politics isn’t always a dirty business (Picture: Reuters)
Being able to cast your vote in an election is a special thing. Having a say in what happens and taking part in the democratic process is a privilege that not everyone across the world enjoys. In fact, a quite awful number of people are killed on this planet every year just trying to be able to make their voice heard in fair ballots.
There’s a flip side to that coin though, of course. If you live in a (relatively) fair and (mostly) not corrupt developed country, you’ll be very used to being able to vote. It may have lost some of its appeal. Especially when you see the terrible jobs that elected leaders and governments tend to do once they grasp the power they’ve all rather worryingly been so obsessed with for so many years.
For those jaded voters who find it hard to care come election day, you may need a little added incentive to head to the booths. You could nick the little pencils, maybe. But that’s barely worth it, is it? No, no. You need real motivation. And we reckon the Americans whose local polling station features in this list have it…
Photographer Ryan Donnell has spent over a decade capturing some of the USA’s most unusual voting spots, turning his lens toward places that are integral to local culture yet far from the typical image of a polling station.
From a Mardi Gras-like museum in Philadelphia to a humble Iowa one-room schoolhouse, the eclectic list includes everything from vibrant restaurants and cosy bowling alleys to neighbourhood laundromats.
So here they are. This is 8 of the weirdest – and coolest – polling stations open for voting in the 2024 US election…
1. The Su Nueva Laundromat – Chicago, Illinois
Election day can be a little dull for poll workers. Sometimes it’s like watching clothes dry (Picture: TNS)
This Laundromat has become a rather unique polling station in The Windy City, offering a practical solution for local voters. Found in a busy neighbourhood, it provides a familiar and convenient spot for residents to cast their ballots. The laundromat is arranged to ensure utmost privacy, with voting machines set up fully among the washers and dryers.
Local voters can help pick the next POTUS and then wash some bed linen while they await the result. Not bad.
2. Pressure Billiards and Café – Chicago, Illinois
Both candidates will be keen to chalk up as many votes as possible next week (Picture: Tannen Maury/EPA/REX/Shutterstock)
This place is usually less about polling and more about pool-ing. But during voting day, it doubles as an unlikely place to help pick the next president.
It offers voters a relaxed, neighbourhood-friendly space to cast their ballots. The café and billiards hall transforms into a temporary voting site, where pool tables and cues sit just steps away from voting machines.
By utilising local businesses like this, the community finds super convenient and familiar venues, encouraging a comfortable environment for a little bit of democracy. Plus although not exactly lucrative for …read more
Source:: Metro
