My Stint as an Election Day Official

This year, inspired like so many other young Americans to contribute to my country's political process, I volunteered to help man a polling station in nearby Missouri City, a suburb of Houston, Texas. Well actually, I was recruited by a couple at church who run their precinct's polling station every election. What a great thing to do!

So, a few observations about my experience on this historic Election Day:

The people working the polls included two observers (one Republican, one Democrat), a judge to make sure we were following all of the rules, an assistant judge, and a few random people (myself included) to sign people in and get them in and out of the voting stations. We filled out a form and I believe will later be paid $8/hr for our time.

The polls were open from 7am-7pm. My shift was 7am to noon, so I showed up around 6:45am, and there was already a small line outside. Before letting anyone in, we all swore an oath not to use any candidate's name, or in any way, through word or gesture, try to influence any vote. Then we set to work.

A lot of people have commented on the amount of early voting this year. At our precinct of about 1200 voters, an amazing 60% had voted early! So we were expecting a record turnout on Election Day, but during my five-hour shift, a steady trickle of only about 65 voters came in. (We had to send many away because they showed up at the wrong precinct. Texans, please note: early voting is okay anywhere in your county, but voting on Election Day MUST be at your assigned precinct, so look it up first!) We ended up chatting during long breaks, eating kolaches and donuts a devoted neighbor brought us, at one point even entertaining a friskly yellow lab who came running right into the voting booth area. Seems that everyone wants a say in this election.

Apparently all precincts in Fort Bend County are supposed to have a Spanish speaker on hand, so I proudly wore my "Se Habla Español" sticker, but everyone spoke perfect English and I didn't get to use my language skillz. (Apparently it would have been a little bit awkward; I'd have to explain the voting in Spanish, then translate everything I just said to the observers to make sure I wasn't secretly telling them who to vote for. They would literally be standing over my shoulder.) Overall, however, I was impressed with the precautions taken to make sure voting was conducted fairly, and feel more confident about the voting process now that I've seen it from the other side.

For me the most poignant moment was when two different African-American mothers brought in their 18-year-old sons to vote for the first time. They were so proud. What an election year to cast your first vote!

fuzzy cellphone photo of me wearing my Election Day "bling"