Election

Part 1: I filled in the online forms to be a poll worker when we moved to Orange County. Even though I’d been a precinct clerk in Broward for many years, the rules up here are that one has to be a lesser worker the first time out. Fine by me, but when they asked me to be a poll deputy for the August primaries, I decided perhaps a 74-year-old was not the best option for crowd control. I declined that opportunity. 

The person calling said she’d put me down as “doesn’t want to work”. I suggested perhaps another position; that seemed a no op. Okay then.

I tried again for the fall election. Hurricane Milton arrived the day I was supposed to have my online orientation. This time, when I called about rescheduling, I was offered a clerk position, but I would be out of town for the remaining training sessions, so no. Could I come in that night to be trained as a backup epoll worker, the person who checks in potential voters. Sure. 

Election eve, I slept badly, waking up hourly after midnight, worried I’d miss my alarm and be late downtown to receive my precinct assignment. At 5:00 AM, I was tying on my sneakers, ready to head out, breakfast, lunch, and dinner in my cooler, charging cords for iPhone and iPad in my bag, my mitten knitting project just in case. 

I arrived at the SOE, the Supervisor of Elections’ office, with hundreds of other people. No parking spaces there or across the street, so I pulled up on the grass, figuring I wouldn’t be towed. As soon as I did, everyone behind me did too. We are such lemmings.

To make a long, boring tale short, I sat there for the day. After being packed in one room with all the other backup workers for an hour, we epoll workers were moved to another room, finally with enough chairs so all could sit. I had been sitting on the floor. Around 7:00, an SOE employee called out a precinct that needed someone. Being in the front meant getting the job. I was at the back, developing a bad attitude. Surely there was no way all 100 of us would be needed. I was right. Only about 10 slots opened. The rest of us sat. 

I left and walked to my car to get my breakfast. I sat some more. I walked to my car to get my lunch. I sat. My neighbor who had worked early voting agreed we were not going in the field. At 2:30, the employee said she needed 8 people to stay and open mail-in ballots. My neighbor and I agreed the extra $150 wasn’t worth it, but others eagerly volunteered. We were let go after that. I think I made $270 for sitting. Boring but easier than spending any previous election I’ve worked. Plus I was given an SOE cap. They were out of T-shirts and coffee mugs by the time I went to get our bling.

That night, Grant and I had a martini and leftover homemade pizza. I’d planned to watch the results on tv, but realized I was too tired to deal with the chaos.

Part 2: OMG. Another four years, or forever. It has taken me a day to feel the impact. I am speechless. Where will this end? And where are the 16 million votes that didn’t happen this year?

One bright spot: our Florida House representative flipped to Democrat from our previous indicted Republican. One down, a gazillion to go.