Election Day fun: Parties for all

by Michael Sarko
- The Capitol Hill Times - 

Voting is your civic duty. It’s the backbone of democracy. It is very. serious. business. It’s also a great excuse to get together with your friends and neighbors to party on a Tuesday. Capitol Hill has proven itself to be one of our state’s most enthusiastic political centers, hosting campaign events and breaking voter registration records. We’ve earned a little fun and, if the vote goes sour, a little commiseration. Check out these events on Nov. 6.

Live Results Party
Neumos, 925 E. Pike
5 p.m., 21 and up
When Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, the election night parties in the Pike/Pine corridor spilled out into the streets. Neumos is opening its doors free of charge on Nov. 6 to anyone old enough to legally drink and, if I-502 passes, legally possess an ounce of personal pot. Showing up in “political attire” may earn you some extra favor with the bartenders, but what exactly counts as “political” is up to interpretation. Chances are, you won’t be getting any free drinks with your “I Voted” sticker when the next person in line looks like Uncle Sam with a face full of piercings. Even if you have to pay for your drink, you can take comfort in the big screens projecting ballot results as they come in live.

Approve 74 Party
The Lobby Bar, 916 E. Pike
10 p.m., 21 and up
Back in Spring, the campaign to approve Referendum 74 set up camp in The Lobby to hit the streets and register voters. On Election Night, The Lobby is hoping to pop the corks on an epic stock of champagne they’ve been saving to celebrate marriage equality should R-74 pass. You can also show up at 7:30 to register for a round of Big Gay Trivia with prizes including cold drinks and cold, hard cash.

Strawberry Theatre Workshop Election Night Bash
Broadway Performance Hall
1625 Broadway
6 p.m.
Capitol Hill’s own award-winning theatre company is going to give the cable news networks a run for their money on Election Night. Sure, CNN has holograms and Wolf Blitzer’s luxurious beard, but the folks at StrawShop have a bar. Hosts Alycia Delmore and Basil Harris will be on hand to keep things interesting with their interactive map, quizzes, and games. Admission is free and you can alleviate the self-consciousness you may feel about yelling, crying, and other unbecoming political behavior with half-off drinks between 6 and 7 p.m.

Out and Equal Party
The Social, 1715 E. Olive Way
9 p.m., 21 and up
Between the Election Night party and the post-election hangover is the Election Night after-party. The Social is going to be doing its young, pretty discotheque thing into the wee hours with D.J. John Joseph on beat patrol. The Social has also partnered with the half-cab, half-limo-service hybrid, Uber, to offer a 50 percent discount on a ride to and from the party using the promo code SEAELECTION through the company’s website or mobile app.

Voting is Sexy
Babeland, 707 E. Pike Street
1 to 5 p.m., 18 and up
There’s no delicate way to put this, and the sex-positive folks at Babeland probably prefer it that way, so here’s the skinny: The Babeland adult products emporium wants you to come in on Election Day afternoon to vote for your favorite sex toy. At the top of the hour between 1 and 5 p.m., a winner will be randomly selected to go home with their preferred candidate. Mercifully, the same can’t be said for President Obama or Governor Romney. Babeland also has Bipartisan Bullet vibrating toys (your choice of red or blue) to give away to the first 200 people who participate.