Note from the polls...

[heidi]

The clerk here at our poll is rather intimidating. She's threatened to have us arrested, thrown out and banned from the room, but she always relents. She won't let us talk to voters here in the room but finally promised that if we left to help anyone, she'd let us back in.

And worst of all, neither she nor the election advisor (who communicates with the supervisor's office) will tell people that they can vote a provisional ballot. It's only after people have become frustrated and leave, or if they know to ask for it when they talk to the clerk, that they can get it. But so far, only one person's walked out without voting. Not a terrible record for a double-precinct.

Comments

[ceilidh]

Is there no way someone can go down the road (whatever distance away the election signs have to be, I guess, if that's how it works in FL) with a big old sign that says IF YOU DON'T GET TO VOTE ASK FOR A PROVISIONAL BALLOT? Or is that illegal? Gah, that's not fair. :-l

[acciopotter.livejournal.com]

Not only is it not fair, but are these people trying to screw up the numbers by not giving the people the information they need to vote?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

It would be legal but we didn't know in advance that it would be needed. See, there's this big sign from the county right outside the door explaining provisional ballots...

[ceilidh]

Yeah, you wouldn't expect people to NOT INFORM people of their legal right to cast a provisional ballot. -_- I guess people don't read the sign cause they think they won't need it, and then don't see it till they get pissed and leave?

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

Are clerks allowed to be partisan, either in theory or in practice?

Fascinating reading, by the way; many thanks for sharing!

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Not while working, no. They have to follow the same steps regardless of the party of the voter. And we've helped some republicans, and tried to help others who've said they want nothing to do with democrats.

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

Have the clerks (has the clerk?) treated you and any republican counterpart helpers that there may be in your particular precinct equally?

Keep up the good work!

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

There is no republican lawyer or chalenger here at all. Which probably accounts for some of the quiet.

[phoenixsong]

Double-precinct? Two areas voting at the same place?

[narcissam.livejournal.com]

I was a party scrutineer in this last Canadian election, and the people running the polls were awful beyond belief. In our case, it wasn't a party issue, but more the scrutineers against the terrible, lazy, stupid poll workers. In fact, the Conservative, New Democrat, and Liberal scrutineers all became best friends by the end of the day over the whole experience.

Some people love being on a power trip and get a kick out of stopping legitimate voters from voting.

NM

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

I was one of two people at our polling site electioneering for a Democratic congressman, and his Republican challenger had one woman there. From what I could tell, she spent most of the time pulling her black hoodie (oh teh irony!) over her candidate t-shirt and going in to tell the election judge that we were within the 100 foot perimeter. And then he had to come out, and we all agreed that we weren't, and he went back in. And 10 minutes later it would start all over again.

Just...why?

I'm glad your day's gone OK. Just a few more minutes now, Heidi! >:D