Skip to main content

Election Day 2012

An alternate election worker is like an understudy. You have to know everything the star of the show does, and be prepared to go onstage at a moments notice.  You need to attend all the training sessions (rehearsals), and you need to be ready to drop everything at a moment's notice, as you could be deployed to anywhere in the county on Election Day. 

As the Election was Tuesday, I spent most of Monday preparing.  We were told we needed to be available from 5:30 AM Tuesday, and be prepared to work until 9:00 PM.  So I charged all my devices, I prepped for snacks and drinks, and I made sure I reviewed my Poll Worker manual.  I even showered on Monday night and tried to get a good night's sleep. Alas, nervousness did me in on that last bit, so I didn't sleep quite so well. But by 5:30 Tuesday morning, I was ready to go, bright-eyed and bushytailed.  In not-so-eager anticipation, I waited for the phone to ring.  And...it did not ring.  So I sat there, taking a few minutes here and there to get some exercise, and to check and double-check everything, and I waited...6:30 came....then 7:30.  Around 7:45 I hurried and made some breakfast and sat and watched an episode of "Doomsday Preppers" (profound, right?).  Finally, at 8:21, the phone rang.  

Me: This is Tracie
Election Division: This is Wendy from Salt Lake County Elections. Are you willing to deploy to Peruvian Park Elementary in Sandy?
Me: Yes. Can you give me the address?
Wendy: (Gives address) How soon can you be there?
Me: I'm ready to go, so anytime.
Wendy: I'll tell them you'll be there in 30-45 minutes.

I hung up, quickly brushed the teeth and threw on some make-up, grabbed my gear, and headed down to the car (lost 10 minutes trying to figure out how to program the GPS), and off I went.

I arrived shortly before 9:00, and then spent the rest of the day verifying ID's, writing voters names in the poll book, and signing them in.  I worked with a great team of friendly people, and got to visit with a lot of interesting people throughout the day.


The job itself isn't very complicated if they're regular voters.  The complexity comes into play if they've been sent an Absentee Ballot and don't know it, or they forgot to register, or they've changed their name.  No one gets turned away, but they may have to vote provisionally.  We processed nearly 800 people, out of approximately 2,000 assigned to that polling station.  According to the register, there were a bunch of early voters as well, which means that station had around 50% voter participation.  Considering the numbers at some elections, that is actually a very good result.

The day itself is very long.  You sit at the table all day, with a 30 minute break for lunch, and the occasional trip to the bathroom.  There's no break for dinner.  The polls close at 8:00 PM, but by 6:00 or 7:00, you're pooped and counting down the hours, and trying to keep yourself going with caffeine and snacks.  When 8:00 hits, the doors close and then the real work begins.  Because you see, after the polls close, you have to clean up, and it is quite a process.  You have to tally the votes and sign the poll books, you have to put paperwork in sealed bags and envelopes, and you have to take apart all the voting machines and put back tables and chairs, etc., etc.  It's a laborious process.  We finally left out of there at 9:15 PM.  I was so tired, I'm surprised I made it home.

After I got home, I was still pretty wired, and on an emotional high.  I wasn't all that interested in who won. What had me going was just being part of the process.  We live in a country that allows us the right to vote as we see fit, and proceeds according to the voice of the people. I got to sit there all day long and watch people exercise that right.  I also gained a great appreciation for all the planning that goes into an election. From the County Clerk and her staff that is responsible for registering people and maintaining the voting rolls, and coordinating all the locations, to the Army of volunteers tasked with implementing the voting system at each location. And how it all goes off peacefully, with no armed conflict.  There may be a lot that makes this country screwy, but I'd rather have it than the alternative.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tidying Up

If you've been watching Netflix much lately, you've probably seen the new series "Tidying Up", with Marie Kondo. She's an expert in cleaning, tidying, and storing stuff, and her method is quite inspiring. I enjoyed the show so much that I ordered her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up", and spent several days trying to get my house more in order. Not that I'm a hoarder - I have a basically tidy home. But the Kon-mari method teaches you to look at your belongings and ask yourself if each particular belonging brings you joy. If it doesn't, it's time for it to move on. I went through all my clothes first, followed by my books and DVD's, followed by the office, followed by the kitchen and laundry room. Whatever didn't bring me joy or a happy memory went into the pile. And when all was said and done, I ended up taking an entire car full of stuff to the local Deseret Industries, to hopefully be re-purposed for someone else to find

New 'Do

For probably the last 10 years or so, I've had pretty much the same hairstyle. For the most part, it's been long, all one length, and I would eventually put it up in a ponytail almost every day, because I couldn't stand having it in my face. It drove me crazy, but I didn't know what to do with it, and at the same time, I liked that I could basically get up and go every day without a lot of effort. For the past several months now, I've been threatening to do something different and drastic, and finally, yesterday, I did. At the recommendation of Angel, I made an appointment with her stylist. It took several weeks to get in, but finally, the day arrived. Angel went with me, for moral support, and to be the photographer. I went in with some basic ideas, but after some consultation and looking at photos with Francine, this is what I ended up with. First, the "before" shot: In process: And finally, the finished product: I can't remember the last time

2018 Year in Review

Whew! The last quarter of 2018 was a whirlwind! But I hung on, and am back for more in 2019. So to catch you up, here's a quick update: I completed the capstone project for my master's degree. It was a major challenge, and I admit I was at times fearful that I wouldn't be able to do it. But do it I did, and I was thrilled to come out of it with a solid grade. I was given some new opportunities at work. I was handed the company's most critical technology project, and tasked with getting it back on track, and delivered on time. While we did miss our deadline by a couple of weeks, the business signed off on the project and it is ready to go live. BA World Chicago. Our team went on a quick trip to a conference in Chicago, where we got some great information from some prominent business analysts. We also had some Giordano's pizza, got to visit the 96th floor of the Hancock Building, and attended the musical "Hamilton". Nephew #2 received hi