Welcome to a little guide about what to watch out for when working the elections.
Wait. What?
No, not those elections. The province of British Columbia municipal elections.
It was my first time and naturally I experienced a few Just TypiKel moments. If you’re new here, a Just TypiKel moment is a quirky delight that tends to only happen to me. Or to my 96 year-old mother.
What To Watch Out For When Working The Elections
I was assigned an advance polling day and election day, plus the two-hour training session. My nerves were a little bit like this when I reported for the training.
However, I plunked myself down at an available laptop station and smiled at my fellow trainees. There were 14 of us on that day. The fellow who directed me to my parking spot turned out to be the trainer. He efficiently outlined what we could expect from the session.
“Ok, could everyone please connect your scanner and mouse to your laptops and we’ll get going.”
Excellent.
“Now, please log into Express with the information provided on your personal slip.”
Tappy, tappy, tappy. Done.
“Ok, now this is the program you’ll use if there’s a power outage. Please minimize that window and log into VoterView. This is the program you’ll be using.”
Tappy, tappy, tappy. Bzzzz. Hmmm.
Tappy, tappy, tappy. Bzzzz.
Damn. I’d have to ask for help.
An impossibly young thing shot over.
“Are you having trouble?” she sweetly asked.
“Yes, I can’t seem to log in.”
“Oh, no worries. It’s probably an upper case issue. Let me check.”
Tappy, tappy, tappy. Bzzzz. Hmmm.
Tappy, tappy, tappy. Bzzzz.
“You need Jim.” Her tone underlined the novelty.
The man smiled as if he couldn’t be more delighted to put the lecture on hold.
“I’ll get you up and running in a jiffy.” His efficient fingers flew across my keyboard.
Tappy, tappy, tappy. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
The acutely puzzled frown gave me immense satisfaction.
“Could you look at your neighbor’s screen for a bit? I’m going to have to call the office.”
It was a bit confusing as my neighbor had moved on to section “F” and I had to play catchup. Jim sidled up to me an hour later and handed me a new login and password. My fellow trainees were now tootling merrily onto section “Q” while I was struggling to understand “C.” But nevermind. My savvy table mate assured me I’d be able to figure it all out by my first day of work …
Advance Polling Day
I held my breath as I logged in at 7:00am. Fortunately, it went smoothly. I couldn’t help worrying that my fellow Election Officials, most of whom were seasoned professionals, would think they were saddled with a dullard. I was just glad that the fellow doing setup wouldn’t remember me out of all the trainees. They must have numbered in the hundreds; my city has 34 polling stations.
But then Jim’s exhausted face cracked into a smile. “Oh, it’s you. The only person that’s ever stumped the office. They never did figure out what happened.”
Just TypiKel.
Election Day
Voting closed down at 8pm on Election Day and I skipped outside to collect the “Vote Here” signs dotted around the perimeter of building. I knew where most of them were, having jammed the majority into the dirt before dawn. Matthew, a young lad of about 20, eagerly agreed to join me. It was the first time in 12 hours that either of us had been outside and the night air was refreshingly crisp.
With our arms now burdened with metal hangers coated in mud and tufts of grass, and the limp, damp plastic covers, we sauntered back to the main entrance. But, surprisingly the doors wouldn’t open. We peered through the glass into the alarmingly darkened interior. Neither of us uttered a word; we shuffled as one to the side door. Unfortunately it was also locked. There was only one light visible; up high and way at the back. Our room. S**t. We hadn’t told anyone we were going outside. Better yet, my phone, car keys and jacket were waiting patiently for me inside.
Matthew had his phone, but nobody’s numbers.
After a good 10 minutes of fruitless pounding, I advised Matthew to cover his ears and blasted out a series of shrill finger whistles. A light finally snapped on, illuminating a very puzzled janitor.
One random person noted our breathless return.
“Oh, when did you guys leave?”
Enough about what to watch out for when working the elections. I’m curious about you. Have you ever worked a polling day? Better yet, did you vote? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
14 Responses
I thought for sure you were going to blow the rape whistle, Kelly.
A few more thoughts:
1. You get to vote in Canada? 😉
2. Our election volunteers pretty much corner the market on hand-crocheted vests blazoned with “USA” in at least 3 different places. Did you make one in Red and White with maple leaves?
3. Thanks for the smiles!!
Funny! Yes, we do get to vote here, too. Sadly, my colleagues and I weren’t decked out in hand-crocheted red and white vests. What were we thinking? Boy, if only my right arm would get better. I started knitting again and I might have overdone it. However, once it no longer hurts, I’ll learn to crochet. And then I’ll whip up some vests. Should be able to manage more than 2 or 3 within the next four years. I’ll keep you posted …
Oh my, great post Kelly ! So happy that the expert was also stumped, it is usually an issue of my own creating whrn it comes to my computer glitches !!
Good on you for your ear splitting whistle !!
Thanks, Jane. Shall I entertain you while we “candle?” If so, stock up on ear plugs. It’s pretty shrill.
Democracy in action is always a privilege to observe and an even greater one to participate in. Well done, you!!!
Thanks, Susan. I’d definitely do it again.
So how can I have known you all these years and not know you could whistle to great effect??? All the years of saying to various bodies (kids, husbands…)
… ‘Time to go, 10, 5, 3 minute warnings guys’, when everything could have been solved by one shrill sound from you!!
Ha! How could that be? I shall definitely give you a demo the next time we get together. However, perhaps not in the car with the windows up. It’s VERY shrill.
Glad to hear about your first time working at the polls. Will you return for a Round 2?
To be a worker here you have to declare a political party (at each polling place the two major parties are evenly represented). I don’t want to do that, so they don’t want me.
You have to declare a political party to work? Wow. I’d struggle with that, too. And yes, I would return for a Round 2.
Hope you received a little someone in the post for all your efforts. Well done on the perseverance and no doubt your presence added a little light to the room. 🙂
The recompense was a very worthy one, thanks, Wend.
What an adventure you had, Kelly! Especially getting locked out. Good thing you can whistle. After surgery done on my lip I lost that ability so I would have still been standing outside the fortress wasting away. I have never worked the polls, and certainly won’t now that I know what can happen. Haha! I did vote, but for the last several years, I’ve done so with an absentee ballot. I cruise into the town office and pick up ballots for Patrick and me, we complete them in the comfort of our homes, returning them by mail in advance of Election Day. Such a luxury! We are sitting back sipping on a glass of wine while hearing reports of long lines and traffic. Ahhh!
Now that’s the way to vote, Molly! Wow. Very clever. You not only avoid the lineups but you get to enjoy a glass of wine. We have advance polling days here where you can slip in and vote. Of course, I didn’t do that. On Election Day I stood up, stretched, toddled over to my “boss’ and asked if I could “just take a moment to vote.” Then I went and stood in line! Just TypiKel.