Vote.
So I just rolled into precinct #106 at First Christian Church in bTown. Only six people there and three were working. Hmmm, maybe we need some more people voting? Or maybe everyone just assumes that there is no doubt we’re gonna be rockin some liberals out of this county, so why bother?
After wandering through the church (no signs anywhere) I found myself in the church basement, old and weathered, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Exactly how I imagined a polling place should be. Old timers as volunteers, tile floor, and stained walls. Not to mention the little voter cubicles or whatever they’re called. Those things are rad. And if you’d ever seen them outside of this polling place, you’d of thought they belonged in a museum. But no, that’s the beauty that was this morning. And it all worked smoothly as far as I’m concerned.
Oh yeah, except for Rita. She was the second volunteer I encountered, not shy at all. Upon introduction she blurts, You’re gonna have to vote on paper; the computers aren’t working. Oh really, I say, were they never working? Nope. I was getting a sinking suspicion that the problem wasn’t with the computers. It may have had a little to do with the perceived computer skills of said attendants. So then I move over to my little booth and start checking off boxes. I finished, and as I deposited my envelope, I witnessed volunteer number three trying to handle a cell phone and the computer at the same time, obviously talking to some technician on the other end who will probably end his life by the end of the day. Yes, I will be volunteering next election.
There may be problems with voter machines, but it’s more likely the real problems are the volunteers and users using them. Oh, America.
Filed by ryanroth at November 7th, 2006 under Life