The day dawned cool for NC, but with a wonderful snap to the air. MrDevi and I got Foxytoddler into her Obama Baby onesie. She was proud to wear it, as she always is. She likes the Obama symbol in the rattle. (It weirds me out that at close to age three, she can still wear it - I have a teenykid!) I threw on my ObamaMama shirt, and we headed out the door.
The place I'd been told to pick up my materials didn't have any, but we headed on to my assigned polling place. Pullen Community Center is right next to NC State University's Bell Tower and the beloved Theatre in the Park. As we pulled into the lot right around 10:00, we saw a line out the door. By the time we found parking, the line had disappeared inside.
There were plenty of people still outside, though. Josh Stein, a Dem running for the state Senate, was shaking hands and greeting people. A couple of judicial candidates were also presenting their handouts - John Miller, a Republican, and Christine Walczyk, a Democrat. Larry Tilley, a Republican for county commissioner, also made an appearance, but he left fairly quickly. Someone with the NCEA was handing out lists of education-friendly voters - funny, the names were mostly Dem! Finally, a kind gentleman had brought two Bernese Mountain Dogs (Dudley and Randolph, I believe) to draw attention to Bev Perdue's ticket. Big Fluffy Dogs for Perdue! Naturally, they made Foxy Toddler squeal with laughter.
MrDevi and I went in and voted before I took up my position outside. The ballot was as has been described in various posts. Outside, the Dems were handing out a sheet with 1-2-3 voting:
- Vote for President;
- Vote for everyone else, showing who "straight ticket" covered,
- Vote for the Dem judges. On the ballot, these are nonpartisan, but the sheet showed the Dem party members so you can pick the judges you want.
We zipped through the voting process with ease, even holding an excited squirmy little one. We made a point of thanking each of the poll workers with who we interacted. I reminded one who brushed off my thanks with a "Without you, this doesn't go!"
Once done, FoxyToddler and MrDevi wandered off to enjoy the park while I greeted incoming voters. It quickly became clear who was already decided against the Dems - they would not even meet my gaze as they walked by. Others would pause, but then say they'd made up their minds. I'm sure some of those were of the "I can't be seen voting for Obama" types. The majority of voters, however, stopped and picked up one of the 1-2-3 guides.
I stayed there for two hours, handing out the guides and chatting. I found Josh Stein to be a good listener. One of my own personal causes is NC Friends of Midwifery, and he promised his doors would be open to anyone seeking to talk to him about improving maternity care in NC. The Dogs for Perdue got much attention.
The one down point was poor John Miller's frustration. As a nonpartisan judicial candidate, he could not hand out any literature except his own card. No Republicans showed up to help out, so the Dem representation was annoying him as we handed out our full slate. As a person, I felt a lot of empathy for him - I've certainly felt a lot of frustration the last eight years. On the other hand... welcome to my world, Elephant dude. We've been incredibly frustrated for years as his party sought to make things difficult for the average person.
I can't give numbers, of course, and I wasn't exit polling. But I'd say three in four people stopped for cards and to chat. They were all across the demographic spectrum - young, old, men, women, Hispanic, black, white, asian, in Priuses, in old beaters, in SUVs. At one point an older man, his wife, and a twentysomething woman walked past. The older woman said "Thank you, we've made our choices!" and held up a hand. The man didn't say anything. The younger woman looked at us out of the corners of her eyes and smiled. I have no idea what it meant, but I choose to believe the best.
I thanked everyone I could as they exited the building. Many commented on how easy it was. Some handed us the 1-2-3 cards back - "Recycling is good!" Others took them home for friends and family. I wasn't wearing a jacket, and some people asked me "Aren't you cold?" But I really wasn't, and I told them so... I'm too fired up and excited.
I'll be out there again later this week and next, greeting and reminding those who stop about the way the ballot works in North Carolina. I urge other people to do the same! It really is a great experience.