My poll watcher story

[No Mandate Here.]

I voted early- well before the soup sale soup was ready, so I had to go back later to get it. When I voted, the four regular election workers were there, and there was a woman sitting at a different table, near where the bingo caller usually sits (I vote in a small town fire hall). I am friends and neighbors of three of the four poll workers, so they had the page open for me and my wife when we got there, after waiting in a five or six person line. As I signed the register, one worker called out and spelled my name, in the direction of the different table. We voted, paid for the soup, and left.

A few hours later, I wen back for the soup, and there was a guy with the woman, still at the same table. I greeted my friends and neighbors, who remembered that I had soup, and they pointed me to the big refrigerator in the kitchen. There was a bag with our four quarts of soup, with my name spelled wrong. I made a joke about this, saying that, not only was my name spelled correctly on the voter rolls, they didn't even have to ask what it was.

As I walked past the strangers, I got up my nerve to approach them. I asked who they represented, and was told "No one" I asked, "What were you doing?", knowing full well that they were probably Rethugs and that they were there to "ensure" that there was no voter fraud.

From behind me came the voice of one of the poll workers, with whom I have had several conversations and who may be the only local person more enraged about * and his policies than I am. "They're Republicans." I about laughed out loud. The two 'watchers' both blushed and sheepishly said that they were, indeed, rethugs.

I asked them if they were volunteers, which they said they were, and I mentioned that it was a shame that they weren't in Ohio, because they would be paid $ 100 each for doing the dirty work there. They professed to not know this, and wished me well as I left. I left in a hurry, because I might have gotten myself in more trouble that I am in already.

By the way, when I asked, they said they hadn't challenged any one of the 550 or so voters so far today. Also, I am wondering if they noticed that, between the four poll workers, at least one of them greeted by name almost everyone who walked in to vote.

[Technowitch]

1. Thanks for the story, ABB

[Vanje]

2. Were they wearing brown shirts?

Jack boots?

[No Mandate Here.]

4. They looked pretty normal to me, but

definitely from out of the area. I should have looked at the cars parked around back to see where, but didn't think of it.

As a DUer, I am most assuredly in a minority here in the Alabama section of Pennsylvania,(with sincere apologies to DUers there)

[amandabeech]

7. I poll-watched in Mechanicsburg this a.m.

The repug pollster wasn't from our ward, but just outside it, which was okay. She was pretty nice, and we helped each other out when we couldn't hear the names as they were called out. I think that I got the better of it, though.

She made no challenges, but got into it a little with one of the election workers, who really was obnoxious--she kept telling me to get outside when I said that I was the Dem poll-watcher. Thank heavens the election judge was one of us!

Very heavy turnout here. The older lady poll workers were dazed after about 200 people voted in the first two hours. I don't think that they're looking to good by now.

[Memekiller]

3. Glad to see a hint of a conscience on the other side...

Maybe they'll find it again during their next four years of soul searching.

[No Mandate Here.]

5. Don't you mean...

at least eight years of soul searching?

[Memekiller]

6. They'll spend the second four years...

...trying to find their dignity.