Memoirous

Just because we were in a small town and, in places, semi-rural, people were not lax about their right to vote. It seems since absentee voting took off and early voting became a thing, in-person voting has gone to the wayside. Yes and no. People have options now on how they choose to vote. Yet, many people decided to wait and come into the physical polling place during this primary. The biggest hurdle was that last-minute a few polling places changed due to input from schools that they preferred not to open to the public or be on the list—understandably. So churches and libraries took on more precincts. A few voters asked why they had to vote here instead of their local middle school or said they went past a voting place closer to home and had to drive here. Mostly they wanted to know if they were in the right place. Yes. People are creatures of habit and the ones used to coming to that church to vote had to contend with the question of which precinct? So the first table sorted them ...

 As I mentioned in my intro post, it was sort of accidental registering to be a poll worker in Michigan. I picked up the wrong app and then realized my mistake, yet turned it in. I knew that democracy was under pressure as were all election workers. If things don’t go right this time then surely cracks in the system, in people’s thinking would only widen. I’m NOT an election denier. I believe Biden won 2020, that there was no evidence of fraud. Just a lie to provoke skepticism. Election workers are working now under undue scrutiny and pressure. If they don’t dot every i and cross every t, then the system, not just that precinct, comes into question. That’s why the team works, past and present, to get EVERYTHING right. We are there to help people vote and, in some cases, not to vote. The differences in process between Illinois/Chicago and Meridian Township in Michigan are numerous and not enough to delineate. Meaning pretty minor. I saw stuff I wish the Chicago Board of Election...

Few experiences are more tiring than being an election judge. You start work at 5:45 a.m. which means waking up even earlier—which also means a crappy night’s sleep. Then, after hasty, groggy introductions, you then have to work cooperatively with others, some of an opposing party or ideology, for the next 16 hours. Hours! I didn’t get home, riding my bike in the dark along roads where the deer jump out to scar the pants off every driver/rider, until 10:30 pm. But, it wasn’t all bad. I actually had several moments that I count as victory and even profound in the emotions they provoked. In addition, I worked with an outstanding group of people. My experience voting and working the polls goes back to the first election I voted in as someone entering adulthood: 1980, Carter vs Reagan. In 2000 in hopes of scrapping enough money together for an international family trip, my husband and I signed up to work the polls down the street—that was Gore vs Bush Jr. No sleepy national election ...