Tonight I get to go to a two hour class on how to be a polling place judge. I am apprehensive, and this is just the class. I can't wait to see how the actual day goes. They've been doing this for a long time, so I would like to think that they've got info on anything that could happen, but still -- there's always that something that you've never seen before. The grandmother only spoke Taiwanese? And the brother was in a wheelchair? Neither had ever voted but both were registered? I can only hope that crises only happen one at a time.
I already have two questions - first, if the polls open at 8, when do I vote? I'm guessing, I get to get in line with everyone else. And second, whats up with political buttons, and all -- do we have to tell people not to wear them? Hope not. I think thats stupid. I already know that if someone shows up a hair after closing time, I'm letting them vote. Supposed to be exactly eight is the cutoff, but screw that. Five minutes later, different story.
I told my daughter it'd be a long day - up at 5 to get to the polls by 6 to set up the machinery and check it out, there till 8PM, then half an hour to shut everything down and bundle it up (where are the seals? Who's got the checklist?), then half an hour out, half an hour back to drop off the vote tabulators in their special super sealed box to the county board of elections -- and she said Oh, thats just like a long day at band camp. Thanks for the sympathy, kid.
6 comments:
Yay, Bill! What a guy!
It might 'sound' silly, but I'm proud to know you! :-)
Carolyn Ann
Aw, shucks....
You'll be just fine, Bill. I know you will.
If all the poll workers were like you, then I'd feel much more confident in the results being authentic. And I say that meaning that I don't trust the machines to work properly. It's something that both sides of the campaign should be concerned with, as there were examples of the machines in West Virginia erring on the side of McCain today.
You can be sure that if I see anything like that, in either direction, I'll let people know, and if I don't think they're taking it seriously, I'll let the local papers know, too.
But as for the day itself, I'm fairly well terrified. There's lots of opportunities for problems, and not a lot of time to fix them. Oh, boy!
You vote in the advance poll. Otherwise you might get into a Kafka-esque paperwork situation which nobody really wants because on "the day" they are really too busy for this.
Thats what they told us returning officers in "our" election. Can't be much different in the US. Paperwork is sort of, you know...universal....grin!
I don't know. It would seem odd to hold everyone up who's been outside in the cold, waiting.... so I guess thats what will happen. I know that I WILL vote, though.
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