MAGICAL DEMOCRACY

Voting is magical. As a wee one, I would venture to the polling place with my Mother. I would stand next to her in the huge lever machine and the curtain would draw shut at she lifted the metal arm to start her voting. The rough material of the dark green-gray curtain always smelled a little musty. Clink, clink, clink for each of her choices. I would reach up to touch a lever and she’d say, “No, you aren’t old enough.” I would feel sad but it was like being inside the Wizard of Oz’s booth. The machine would musically tinkle as she pushed down the metal arm to register her votes as the curtain whooshed open. I was entranced.

Mom occasionally served as an election judge. She would leave before I got up for school and I would drop by the polling place after school to say hi. If it was busy she would just smile and wave and I’d go home. Children weren’t allowed to loiter in the polling area. I would have been content to read a book and just watch from the sidelines.

By the time I turned eighteen the magical machines were gone and replaced by paper ballots. I told my parents that I was a Democrat and they were disappointed. My Father was certain that he had raised a Good Republican as compared to a Bleeding Heart Liberal. Oh well, at least I have a heart (Note: not all conservatives or Republicans are callous nor or all Democrats open hearted). I was very fastidious about voting and began serving as an Election Judge during college for a little extra cash.

The pay is poor, hours lousy, but it’s a civic duty. I am generally the youngest judge and it’s important to be involved in the process. I haven’t judged every single election but enough to get promoted to Head Judge. The Head Judge is the supervisor of the polling place. Responsible to make certain that it is a free and fair election. A lot of stress and anxiety to ensure that the laws are enforced to the letter. However, I love knowing that I am making a direct impact on the success of the democratic process. Much has been sacrificed by my ancestors for me to have this right and reasonability. My father’s aunt lived until she was 107 and would tell me stories about being a Suffragette. It is a citizen’s responsibility to vote in every election.

Most of the time, the election goes smoothly. A few minor problems always arise but they are 99% solvable. What causes the most headache are the big problems. During the Minnesota Gubernatorial election with unusually high turnout due to James Janos (aka Jessie Ventura), the ballot counting machine kept breaking down. When it started giving off whiffs of smoke so I quickly unplugged it and called Election Headquarters for help. It was an old-model paper ballot counter and they didn’t have a replacement. We had to pile the ballots in a box. A voter accused me of fraud but we had two judges from different parties guarding the ballots so it would have been impossible to tamper with them.

A few hours later on the same day, an elderly resident fell on some stairs as he entered the polling place. We got him in a sitting position but it was clear that he was harmed. He refused an ambulance but let me call his son. Meanwhile, we set up a privacy screen so that he could vote where he was seated. His son arrived and took him to the hospital where it was learned that he had broken his hip. We were outrageously busy but I could not ignore a voter who was in peril. That night had to schlep the ballots to be counted in the Headquarters’ machine and didn’t get home until after 2am. I was so glad that I took the next day off from work.

To be continued.

Every Vote Counts!
Copyright © 2013 by Ima B. Musing; All rights reserved

ZOMBIE ZONE

Judging an election is an endurance test. I arose at 4am to be at the polling place by 6am to hastily prepare for the onslaught of citizens clamoring for a ballot on November 5th. Grumpy residents moan and groan in an extended queue before the sun rises and the doors opened at 7am. The inundation is fierce and the judges do their best to keep up. Thus, begins the 13 hours of open polls and the hour or two of closing after 8pm. Minimum of fifteen hours of intensity, but I need the money.

“What do we want? Voters! When do we want them? Voters!” the chant grows louder by the hour. A throng of weary, bleary Election Judges have entered the final throws of the General Election. We just want the agony to end. After ten or eleven hours of repeating the same phrases, the voters lose their individuality. Some of our judges only served a half day, which made them more mentally alert.

The citizens tend to talk too fast and don’t like to repeat themselves to a partially-zombified judge. It takes a bit longer to locate their name in the Election Roster and they become petulant if you don’t find it instantly. Always, speak slowly and clearly to the judge, be patient and kind. Don’t use your own pen to sign the roster.

We rejoice when the Head Judge shouts out, “The Polls are Closed!” We wait for the final voters to complete their ballot and then rush around cleaning up the polling place. The Head Judge focuses on ensuring that the vote count data is printed in a hard copy, then the ballots and machine transported to the County Election Office. Shout for joy, the polls are bunged.

Did you vote this year?
Copyright © 2013 by Ima B. Musing; All rights reserved

KEEP IT SIMPLE

VOTE on Tuesday, November 6th.
If you are not sure where your polling place is located, visit this nonpartisan website www.vote411.org for information. Mid-day is the best time to vote.

In Minnesota, there are two Constitutional Amendment issues:
Marriage Definition = discrimination so vote NO
Voter ID = exclusion so vote NO

Yes for Obama-Biden because they are better than the alternative.

Proudly wear your “I voted” sticker on Tuesday!

See ya at the poll!
© 2012 Ima B. Musing

COUNT EVERY ONE

My family has been active in the military since at least the Civil War. They fought, were battered and bruised or died for the United States of America. They sought to uphold the freedoms that we enjoy as citizens of a democratic nation. One of those rights and privileges is a “free and fair” election process. Women and people of ethnic diversity were only awarded those rights during the past 100 years and now there is a proposed Minnesota Constitutional Amendment that would disproportionately affect these people. Our ancestors would be appalled.

Yes, it is a nice concept to have every voter display photographic identification when they cast a ballot. However, a photo ID is difficult to attain for many people. My parents were born on the farm and didn’t obtain birth certificates until they needed a passport to travel. Many elders are in that situation; it would be nearly impossible to prove that they were born in the US. An estimated 140,000 Minnesotans who are completely qualified to vote would not have access to the polls. The blood of my ancestors would have been shed in vain.

Also troubling are the additional provisions of the amendment. As a Head Election Judge for several years, I observed how important same-day registration was for voters. First, many people move after the pre-registration date (October 15th of this year) and would be disqualified if this amendment passes. Second, members of the military (which includes my family) would be forced to do a two-step ballot and there is a high probability that their vote would never be counted. What a terrible irony. Third, county governments would be forced to locate money to pay for items required by the amendment. Not exactly fiscally prudent, now is it?

Finally, it is very uncommon to have a contested campaign conclusion. Very few campaigns end with a close vote. Technically, the opportunity for an “illegal” vote to sway the result of an election is miniscule. I’m willing to take that risk to ensure access for all the people who would have trouble attaining a photo ID and for multitude that would be barred by the other provisions of the amendment. That is why I will mark NO on the Anti-Voting Amendment in Minnesota on November 6th, 2012.

www.ourvoteourfuture.org

Two NOs make a Right!
© 2012 Ima B. Musing