Wed, Mar 03 2004

I Survived Super Tuesday

I don't have the T-shirt for it, but I just had an all-expense-paid one-day education in the California election process. We had no touch screen voting at our precinct. Voters used (very dark) purple marking pens to make their choices. In spite of the instructions printed in each voting booth some folks did not follow directions and marked their ballots with check marks or other "designs" that may or not be read properly in the count. Some people used a pencil to mark choices, which also will probably not be read properly. The pencil issue is a cloudy one, because if you vote here by absentee ballot you are clearly told to mark your ballot with a No. 2 pencil. Some voters asked us what to use for marking, which is a good idea if you are in doubt.

As a poll worker, I had to stay after the polls were closed and help put the ballots in order. They all have to be turned a certain way and then boxed and sealed (we each had to sign the seal) and everything is packaged and returned by the inspectors. We kept our little patriotic pins that we got for volunteering, but everything else (down to the unused stickers and adhesive tape) is returned by the inspectors.

I appreciated the Roving Inspector who came to check on us several times during the day. Her job was (partly) to help us do ours by checking to see that we had all the notices, signs and other material posted properly. She also brought us wonderful edible treats from local businesses, which was a complete surprise to me. And she made sure we had someone getting food for us. It was a great morale booster, because with all the hustle and bustle that goes on during an election day, poll workers stay relatively isolated for approximately 15 hours. Which brings me to the one discouraging part. I was told this morning that when my precinct's ballots were being returned to the official collection point, car radios were already broadcasting our governor's celebratory remarks on issues he belived to be passing. I realize that people like to know as soon as possible how things have gone, but it would please me no end if the politicians and those reporting figures would have the courtesy to wait. Those of us who worked all day yesterday to help citizens cast their votes could easily feel as though our precinct's votes did not matter--that the call had already been made.

All in all, I'm really glad I did this. If you're apathetic about voting, try at least once in your life to work at a polling place. You should see the look on the faces of people who come in and trust you to help them vote--and some are voting for their very first time. You will get a superb lift in spirit at having helped them to have their say, and you will be thankful we still have this freedom. I know there's a lot of "pork" and hot gas in politics. (I call it pork and beans.) But what if we all got woke up next Election Day and were told we would no longer be able to vote? Would that change your mind about having your say? Our freedom to vote helps keep a free America free.

posted at: 08:40 | category: /Politics | link to this entry