HARD WORK AND FUN TIMES AT THE POLLS

 

By Ann Hellmuth

For nearly six hours Tuesday, Education Chair Roger Pickar and I clicked away at laptops, checking voter registrations before handing out secrecy folders containing ballots at Precinct 513 in Winter Park.

We were staffing 513 as part of the Adopt-a-Precinct program organized by AAP chair Laurie Wack, who together with Diane Stiglich, Chip Ginkel, Eileen Kane, Sara Isaac, Jeannette Rivera-Lyles, Paula Madsen, Cindy DerHagopian, Dede Caron and Dixie Tate ran Precinct 510 at Winter Park’s Lake Island Rec Center.

Like all poll workers we had attended special training sessions at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office. We had studied the Polling Worker Training Manual and learned the jargon such as IOP (Internet Oath Person) for troubleshooter.

But I was still nervous about my first stint as a poll worker and had written myself copious notes: Scan sample ballot, swipe drivers license or ID, check voting booth after voter leaves and remove discarded sample ballots or campaign material.

It was almost 1.30 p.m. when I took the plunge, replacing Sue Pins who together with Kaia Forget had worked the early shift. A voter was waiting. I scanned her driving license relieved to see a name and address pop up on the screen.

“What’s your name?” I asked. She responded correctly.

CLICK

“Do you still live at the same address?”

“Yes.”

CLICK

 

“Does the voter have Photo Identification?” “Does the Voter have Signature Identification?” More Yes Clicks.

“Do you need assistance?” It was a question that invariably produced a confused or amused response whether the voter was 18 or 80 and a shake of the head.

CLICK NO

Time to have the voter sign the Ebook and be handed a secrecy folder containing a ballot by Barbara Shell.

When there were hiccups or problems voters were directed to see IOP Vera Rushmer or Precinct Clerk Carol Davis. Their ballots marked, voters scanned them at the tabulator, which was operated by Ann Hicks Murrah.

The Precinct 513 heroes were Carol, LWVOC Voters Services Chair, her husband, Charles, Ann, Vera and Barbara. With help from Sue and Kaia, they started setting up the precinct at 6 a.m. and were there until everything was broken down and repacked, ready to be picked up by the elections office staff more than 14 hours later.

By 2 p.m., 322 Winter Park and Maitland voters had cast their ballots.

It was a chatty crowd. Everyone seemed to know everyone’s name. Some came with children, using the process as an impromptu civics lesson. There were excited 18-year-old first-time voters, often accompanied by proud parents, and seniors who compared the speed of checking-in today with years gone by when the process was done by hand. A couple of people were grumpy when their registrations didn’t show up on the computer screen and they had to report to Vera to have the problem sorted out. But many praised the League and waved a cheery “thank you” as they left the precinct.

By the time the doors closed at 7 p.m., 537 voters had cast ballots at our precinct.

Now it was time to break down the voting booths and place them in a huge cardboard container, box the laptops, count unused ballots and remove all the ballots from the tabulator and place them in boxes, which were sealed and signed by Carol and Barbara.

Note to Laurie. It helps to have a couple of strong men on a precinct team. Charles and Roger made the breaking down of equipment seem almost effortless.

Would I do it again? Yes! It was the perfect confidence booster. The camaraderie was fantastic and we got to see democracy at work, which is what the League is all about.

Ann Hellmuth is president of the LWVOC.