Decision '08

Sign of the times: Java giant Starbucks offered free coffee to anyone who votes today, then had to pull the promotion after discovering that the give-away could violate federal election laws. So the company decided to hand out a free "tall brewed coffee" to anyone who walks through the door, voters, non-voters and anarchists alike. The upshot? This morning the lines at any Starbucks are longer than the lines at the polls. My experience voting in Barrington: No line, voted in less than 2 minutes. My experience trying to get coffee in Wakefield: Line out the door into the parking lot with an anticipated 45-minute wait surrounded by people ordering their free tall brewed coffee along with something called a venti double half-caf extra foamy with legs.