I grew up in a political household. We discussed legislation around the dinner table the way most families chat about school projects. So when I heard there was a need for Republican Poll Watchers in Denver County I was glad to help uphold the integrity of the process.
My training had included key things to look for. I was to call problems to the attention of the supervising judge and could remain only at her discretion. During the work day I was not to speak to anyone else, especially a voter. Unfortunately, she remained busy filling out provisional ballots, which made raising concerns awkward.
As an 18-year resident of Colorado, I have voted consistently in my home county. The process is carefully followed and by the book. All the rules apply to everyone all the time. Exceptions are made within the bounds of protocol and limits are enforced courteously.
As a Poll Watcher, my job included closely observing the check-in process. Someone asked me what I was doing as I looked over her work from about 4′ away. I explained. Almost immediately someone informed me I was not to talk to anyone. Within minutes the supervising judge told me I couldn’t stand within 6′ of check-in. It was necessary to show instructions to the contrary. Then the tables were promptly rearranged such that the only way to closely observe the check-in process was to stand in the way of the incoming voters. It would appear overbearing, but could be done.
The Democratic Poll Watcher was very nice and explained early that she “took the other view since she was from Cuba, where people couldn’t vote.” Her initial expectation–that I somehow didn’t want people to vote–could not have been more wrong. It was gratifying that she seemed to eventually recognize that my concern was for the integrity of the process.
In fact, to their credit, as events unfolded the other Poll Workers seemed to notice who I was separately from their expectations. A couple of gentlemen spoke kindly about social niceties and tried to include me, but I did not feel free to answer.
The sad part was the continued acceptance by some of rhetoric that implied that Republicans would not value the process and each individual voter’s rights. This was made clear in conversations when voters were not in the room, conversations which I could not avoid hearing and could not enter.
The previous edition of this post didn’t communicate what I’d hoped it would. I came home on election night grieved because the people I met were very nice and very committed to helping people and yet were so horribly mistaken about who I was–who so many of us are and what we believe–that they felt a need to minimize my ability to do my job as an observer.
Kinderways is dedicated to the thoughtful pursuit of truth, to the consideration of great ideas. Timeliness is key for news and discussing current events but an enemy to writers attempting to speak of difficult things. “Sleeping on it” is my favorite rule for avoiding miscommunication in print. I hope readers will “listen gently”, because timeliness will often make “sleeping on it” hard to do.