I went to my local precint to vote this afternoon and came out shaking because I was so angry and upset. Three things happened today that show a pattern of "playing it loose" at my polling place and I called them on it.
I stood in a very small line today to vote. The people ahead of me were discussing the ID Me Please judge's decision with the election official in the next line. I overheard only that they were complaining that no IDs were required to vote, at which point the election official responded, "Yeah... I sure would like to be able to ask for IDs, especially for some people." I was astounded, considering their oath of office was taped to the table in front of each official. I stepped up to the head of my line and told the other male official that I'd like to get my receipt without my ID because that is the law. He laughed nervously and gave me my receipt so that I could go to the lady at the end, the head election official, to get my ballot. I told her, in a not-so-quiet tone, that under no circumstances are any election officials supposed to give their political opinion on issues while they are sitting behind that table. She said, "oh, did someone give an opinion?" I decided that I needed to cool off a bit, so I took my ballot and went into the booth.
After marking my ballot, I came back out and asked her if she was the head election official. She confirmed that she was and I reiterated my concern. I had seen something else happen while I was standing in line, and I figured that I was already in for a penny, may as well go for the full pound. I asked her if she noticed that the young woman with the small child had taken one of the ballots off of the top of her stack when she wasn't looking. She hadn't given the woman a ballot in the first place and I watched as the woman looked behind curtain after curtain for a ballot in the booths. It looked as if she thought the election official had told her that the ballots were in the booths already. When she came back to ask for a ballot the election official was busy with someone else. She got frustrated, and just took a ballot off of the top of the pile.
The head election official responded, "Oh yes, I noticed that the numbers were off so I caught it." I said, "But now you're going to have to invalidate that particular ballot, because it wasn't done properly. Because you didn't do your job correctly in the first place and give that woman a ballot, her vote will not count!"
Earlier in the day, my son registered to vote for the first time in Minnesota, and they gave him the wrong ballot. Three "mistakes" found in one day by one family. How many other mistakes were made?! I told her about all of this and she did not offer any explanation, or really any apology. I told her I was reporting all of the irregularities to the State of Minnesota. I already called 866-our-vote.
I am supposed to be thinking about music, and auditioning for solos tonight for our Christmas concert. Instead, I'm hopping angry and writing this diary. I have one hour to cool off before I have to sing. Sheesh!