I voted in Armenia for the first time

My daughter Noor and I just left the polling place, where I voted for the first time in an election in Armenia. It was so smooth and quick as to be disappointing.

We walked in. They pointed us to a desk. I said my address and handed my residence permit to a man who was standing and walking around, presumably the chair of the local electoral commission. The people at the desk found the address and my name. They laughed that my last name was shorter than my given name, copied my ID number into the register, had me sign the register, and on the chair's instruction, "Give Lima a ballot," handed me a ballot and an envelope.

We went into the private voting area (behind an official cardboard box), I marked my ballot with a V – as clearly instructed by a sign on the box – with the pen that was there, folded my ballot, and slipped it into the envelope.

We then walked over to the ballot box. Someone stamped the envelope with a triangular stamp and handed it back to me while someone opened the slit on top of the box. I dropped my envelope in, and that was it. A lot like dropping an envelope in the mail and wondering whether it will ever arrive!

After we left, I called Maria Titizian and confirmed that she had voted for the first time too. I can't wait to see her write about her experiences on the campaign trail.

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