Thursday, November 06, 2008
The Votemaster
Tuesday I served as an election monitor, which turned out to mean I spent an entire day arguing with surly old ladies about what constitutes a valid state ID and how far 50 feet from the polls is. Apparently unfazed by my many gifts of donuts, pizza, and sandwiches, the poll workers seemed determined to ignore my protestations that election law was not, in fact, irrelevant, and to repeatedly throw me out of the facility for disagreeing with them. I was reduced to lurking outside the perimeter of the polling place and asking each individual voter if they'd had any problems, which made me feel a little bit like that guy who tries to force me to take a Red Eye by the train station every morning. And did I mention my day started at 4 AM? Thank God I brought a flashlight and a folding chair to help me through the day.
The whole enterprise was definitely worth it, though, for all the people I managed to help to vote. The highlight was the adorable 98-year-old African-American woman who had falsely been told she was listed as having already voted. She was on the verge of tears and plotting to drive half an hour to the county seat to try to talk to the county clerk personally. When I pushed the issue with the election officials, though, it turned out they had just looked at the wrong name on their list. And so my elderly friend got to cast her historic vote. And then she went home for some cake, since it was her birthday.
I have to admit that I had never realized how difficult it can be for people to exercise this most basic right. I will definitely be monitoring again in the future. Even if I did almost get scoliosis from hunching over my election manual.
Tuesday I served as an election monitor, which turned out to mean I spent an entire day arguing with surly old ladies about what constitutes a valid state ID and how far 50 feet from the polls is. Apparently unfazed by my many gifts of donuts, pizza, and sandwiches, the poll workers seemed determined to ignore my protestations that election law was not, in fact, irrelevant, and to repeatedly throw me out of the facility for disagreeing with them. I was reduced to lurking outside the perimeter of the polling place and asking each individual voter if they'd had any problems, which made me feel a little bit like that guy who tries to force me to take a Red Eye by the train station every morning. And did I mention my day started at 4 AM? Thank God I brought a flashlight and a folding chair to help me through the day.
The whole enterprise was definitely worth it, though, for all the people I managed to help to vote. The highlight was the adorable 98-year-old African-American woman who had falsely been told she was listed as having already voted. She was on the verge of tears and plotting to drive half an hour to the county seat to try to talk to the county clerk personally. When I pushed the issue with the election officials, though, it turned out they had just looked at the wrong name on their list. And so my elderly friend got to cast her historic vote. And then she went home for some cake, since it was her birthday.
I have to admit that I had never realized how difficult it can be for people to exercise this most basic right. I will definitely be monitoring again in the future. Even if I did almost get scoliosis from hunching over my election manual.
