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 the businesses, they do get a $150 kickback from the state. And potentially get to introduce themselves to new customers.
3. Story County’s one-room schoolhouse – Sherman Township, Iowa
We’re absolutely certain the kids that went to a one room school that’s 300 square feet didn’t turn out weird or anything (Picture: Getty)
In the late 1800s, Iowa had thousands of these diddy little ‘one-room’ schoolhouses. While many are now historical sites, this 130 year-old mini-school near Des Moines now serves the community in a new way.
Advice to locals is to turn up when it’s not busy, only – understandably – there’s not a huge amount of space inside. Not that it really gets all that busy.
4. Lawn Lanes bowling alley – Chicago, Illinois
This fella couldn’t spare time for a quick game, so he just voted and split (Picture: Getty)
Lawn Lanes, a old school Big Lebowski-style bowling alley in Chicago’s diverse West Lawn neighbourhood, has served around 750 voters as a polling site since 2020. David Supanich, the manager, recalls his father offering it as an alternative to reduce local congestion. With limited public venues, unique polling spots like Lawn Lanes are really quite necessary.
Local voters can help pick the next POTUS and then knock down some pins while they await the result. Not bad.
5. The Mummers Parade museum – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Not, as we first thought, a museum dedicated to the history of Mumford & Sons (Picture: Michael Candelori/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Mummers Parade, a Philadelphia (the place, not the cream cheese) museum staple since 1901, traces its roots to the 17th-century tradition of locals dressing up and celebrating on New Year’s Day. The Mummers Museum, a long-time polling place, honours this quirky legacy.
‘It’s a weird tradition,’ says Donnell, a Philly resident for over a decade. ‘And having a polling centre there is very uniquely Philadelphia (the place, not the cream cheese).’
6. Philadelphia Water Department laboratory – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Testing the waters (Picture: Getty)
This large brick lab, towering over nearby homes, plays a vital role in testing the city’s water quality. With no visible lab signs near the voting booths, you might not know what it was when you’re in there, but it’s quite obviously not your usual boring polling station. It is, instead, a very exciting water testing facility.
7. Saigon Maxim restaurant – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
What a lovely phởto (Picture: Google Maps)
In Philadelphia’s Little Saigon, this Vietnamese restaurant doubles as a local voting site and includes a spacious stage used for everything from weddings to community celebrations.
Local voters can help pick the next POTUS and then knock back a bowl of phở while they await the result. Not bad.
8. Ray Lounsberry’s Tractor Barn – Nevada Township, Iowa
Where most of the electorate would sooner vote for John Deere (Picture: Getty)
For decades now, Ray Lounsberry has hosted voters in his farm garage. The amenable war veteran always helps set up chairs and brings refreshments for poll workers, proud to serve his Nevada Township community.
‘I feel like I’m doing a service to the county by letting them use this. I’m happy to help,’ Lounsberry says.
Local voters can help pick the next POTUS and then look at some old agricultural machinery while they await the result. Which is probably quite dull.
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