My Momma the Poll Judge
Mon Nov 13, 2006 at 04:26:49 PM PDT
I spoke with my momma over the weekend while I was riding the train back from Connecticut, and she told me about her first time poll judging. She lives in a very small town of less than 4,000 people. Though she has asked to be a poll worker in previous years, this was the first time that she was asked to do it. I guess some of the folks who have done it for decades are getting too old volunteer now and they needed some new blood.
Below the fold you can read how my momma worked to stop possible election fraud.
At the polling place where my mom volunteered, they had two men come in and one of the guys said he was assisting the other because the voter couldn't read or write. As they were signing the register, my mother asked the woman working the voter list if he should fill out one of the forms for people assisting voters. The voter list woman said, "I suppose you're right, he does need to fill one out."
I guess we're lucky that my momma isn't shy about asking questions when she is doing something new. A lot of people put into a new circumstance are reluctant to speak up for because they are unsure of their knowledge or afraid of embarrassing themselves. I know I feel that way sometimes in a new situation. So the guy assisting says he's never filled out a form before but goes ahead and does it anyway.
Then the guy comes in again with another person who is blind and needs assistance. My momma makes him fill out another form. She's suspicious because of this guy's reputation, so she called the county clerk to find out what happens to the forms. There was also a question about whether the first voter needing help worked for this man or not. You can't assist someone in voting if you are their employer. My mom was told that the Grand Jury looks at all the assistance forms to see if there is any indication of wrong-doing. That was a surprise to me, but I'm glad to know that someone actually reviews these things.
My guess is that most of the poll workers who have been doing this for years haven't been asking people to fill out the assistance forms. Since it's a small town, if they know who the people are they just let them go ahead and vote. After the second time filling out the form, the man didn't bring anyone else in to vote. Maybe everything was above board with this guy, or maybe not.
I'm proud of my momma volunteering for the polls and protecting our democracy. Well, she thought she was volunteering but it turns out she got a $100 check on Saturday so that was the icing on the cake for her.
Moral of the story, if you are unsure about the process, ask!
Anyone else hear any interesting poll worker stories or personal experiences?
Permalink | 6 comments