setup

Setting up the polling location took about an hour and a half. Everyone was really nice. There are eight of us, and one other is new like me. When I first got there we were setting up the voting booths. They pop open and the legs are folded up inside. Then I helped one of the other poll worker put together the yard signs ("Vote Here," "No Campaigning Beyond This Point" etc), and hang signs inside.

Then I helped check off people who already voted. We got a big list of everyone who already voted, and we had to put a big red "A" (for Absentee) over their name in the book. I only encountered one irregularity: a person whose first and last name and ID number matched, but the middle name did not match. They said not to put the A over that person's name because it might not be the same person, although probably it is.

While a few of us checked off names, the others set up the rest of the voting area. Almost everything is set up and left in place the night before. Just not the actual ballots and the tabulating machine. For obvious reasons they can't be left unattended overnight. And the chief judge has a grey bag containing an emergency kit. In case something crazy happened tomorrow morning like the key broke off in the lock and we couldn't get into the building, we could use the emergency kit to let people vote in the parking lot.

Also I filled out my tax forms -- we get paid to do this! I had to bring a photocopy of my driver's license and social security card. Lucky I was able to find the latter.

We have a full kitchen in back, which is nice, although one of the others warned me that we might not have much time to use it. They all said this is an active precinct with a lot of voters. They said that in 2004, when they arrived at 6 am to open up, there was already a line of voters down to the street! And it never let up all day. They said it won't be that insane tomorrow, but it probably will this coming November. And here I had a book all ready to fill the down time.

I'm going to be one of the people checking off names, which I'm happy about. The only complicated thing is that unaffiliated voters get to pick which ballot they want: the democratic, republican or nonpartisan (which only has nonpartisan races). The chief judge instructed us not to say the party names, but instead tell unaffiliated voters they can choose "either party or unaffiliated." I don't know why she doesn't want us to say party names, but whatever, she's the chief judge. Then the voter has to circle which ballot they want on their ATV form. Which I'm pretty sure I was not asked to do, when I voted last week. Well it's a new rule and so maybe the guy at early voting forgot.

The only thing that was less than ideal was the temperature. It was hot! And that was with only 8 people in the room. I'm a little concerned about tomorrow, when it's going to be warmer outside and the room will be crowded with people all day. I thought they'd have the a/c cranked and wore a light sweater, but I think tomorrow I'll wear short sleeves. We're required to wear "business casual" which doesn't describe many of my clothes, but I came up with something.

At the very end when we were walking out the door a car pulled up and a guy leaned out and asked us if this was the place for early voting! One of the other ladies told him, "Tomorrow morning at 6:30!" He missed early voting by a couple of days.

I have to be there at 6 am tomorrow, and we can't leave (I mean that literally: we legally cannot leave the premises) until the votes are counted, which they said might optimistically be by 8:30. I've got a lunch & snack to pack tonight, and Georg promised to come by after work tomorrow and bring me an iced tea. Wish me luck!