2008 Woodie Awards
By the People
Feature Editorial
Chris Olson
Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: Opinions
As I looked down at the freshly smeared fecal matter on the toilet seat, I started to think of the negative aspects of democracy. It was still before 6 a.m. on Super Tuesday, the polls had not yet opened, and I was getting my first taste of being a Polling Place Administrator (PPA). There were only 15 of us in the First Bethlehem Church basement that morning - 13 election judges, the pastor and myself. We had only been there 35 minutes, which made the toilet seat that much more foreboding. I trusted the pastor; it was his place after all, so I figured it must have been one of the judges. But how could someone charged with the responsibility of operating a polling place be too incompetent to operate a toilet seat?
As a PPA, my responsibilities began and ended with the voting machines; PPAs are present simply to make sure that the machines are running well - everything else is the judge's concern. Furthermore, judges are expected to know everything about the machines that the PPAs do. The official election judge manual even includes trouble shooting information for each piece of equipment as well as step-by-step instructions for dealing with every possible situation that might arise during polling.
On election day, I made the mistake of assuming judges would be competent enough to consult this manual. I imagined judges would ensure that our election was fair, honest and virtuous on every level; that they would be the backbone of our electoral process and the sentinels of democracy. Unfortunately, that Tuesday I spent 16 consecutive hours with the judges for the city's first ward, 49th precinct.
These judges were an embarrassment to the entire democratic process. They turned away people that should have been able to vote while allowing others to vote that should not have. They had no idea how to set up or operate the most basic election equipment. They could not maintain the basest level of professionalism when dealing with associates and voters. They even raided the church's food pantry for the homeless, taking enough food for 15 people with them for a party they were having. Worst of all, they could not count. Their numbers did not add up at the end of the night, and they made no effort find or correct the error before sneaking off to their party with the stolen food.
As a PPA, my responsibilities began and ended with the voting machines; PPAs are present simply to make sure that the machines are running well - everything else is the judge's concern. Furthermore, judges are expected to know everything about the machines that the PPAs do. The official election judge manual even includes trouble shooting information for each piece of equipment as well as step-by-step instructions for dealing with every possible situation that might arise during polling.
On election day, I made the mistake of assuming judges would be competent enough to consult this manual. I imagined judges would ensure that our election was fair, honest and virtuous on every level; that they would be the backbone of our electoral process and the sentinels of democracy. Unfortunately, that Tuesday I spent 16 consecutive hours with the judges for the city's first ward, 49th precinct.
These judges were an embarrassment to the entire democratic process. They turned away people that should have been able to vote while allowing others to vote that should not have. They had no idea how to set up or operate the most basic election equipment. They could not maintain the basest level of professionalism when dealing with associates and voters. They even raided the church's food pantry for the homeless, taking enough food for 15 people with them for a party they were having. Worst of all, they could not count. Their numbers did not add up at the end of the night, and they made no effort find or correct the error before sneaking off to their party with the stolen food.
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