 One week ago, last Saturday, I attended training at the Ann Arbor Obama campaign office to be a Democratic poll challenger on election day. The training room was full of volunteer attorneys from all over the area, and I saw many I knew.
The message from the training was simple. Although we were credentialed as poll challengers, the Obama campaign did not want us to actually challenge any voters. It was our job to ensure everyone legally entitled to cast a vote was able to do so.
I had heard many stories about rabid Republican poll challengers holding up lines, challenging voters due to minor and obvious typographical errors, and refusing to provide proper precinct information to African-American voters who for whatever reason where in the wrong place but otherwise registered to vote. I personally experienced this four years ago with inappropriate conduct by Republican challengers at Ypsilanti's Perry School when a county elections official had to come down to monitor the precinct for more than half the day, and where at least one belligerent challenger was kicked out for improper behavior.
So, I was somewhat apprehensive about taking the day off work to inject myself into a busy, hectic, and potentially stressful and decisive situation, particulary for 13+ hours without a break, even thought I knew it needed to be done.
When I turned the corner at 6:45 A.M. toward the Superior Township precinct I was assigned to, I was stunned to see cars parked on the shoulder, the church parking lot full, and people parked on the grass. I was even more surprised to see the line of voters stretching out the door, by the side of the church and around the back. Voters had gotten up at 5 in the morning to come and wait in line to cast their historic vote for Obama. The air was electric with energy.
When I went in, there were two other challengers, another from the Obama campaign, and one from a voter protection organization. There was nobody there from the Michigan Republican Party, apparently a side-effect of McCain's early pullout from Michigan.
The poll workers were at first leery of us and our challenger status, apparently having heard the same stories as I did. However, within an hour of arriving, I demonstrated that my LG Dare (with Internet access) could be used to look up voter information on the State of Michigan's voter database, Publius. Before long, when a problem arose with a voter not matching the list, I was looking up their information online and either providing the information necessary to permit them to cast a vote, or sending them to another precinct where they could vote. When there was a question about proper procedure and whether the voter could cast a regular ballot or required a provisional ballot, I had a voter protection manual in which to look up the law and provide advice. Although some voters were unable to cast votes due to unresolvable problems, the vast majority were able to vote, and I gave many others the information they needed to travel to the precinct in which they were properly registered to cast their vote.
In the precinct I worked, almost 1200 votes were cast. At the end of the day, more than 95% of them voted for Barack Obama. Just under 5% voted for John McCain. The precinct was so well run that we had results within 20 minutes of closing the door.
I called in my results to the Obama campaign and went to the Ypsilanti Obama office. The office was alive with energy, and the mood was festive. After checking in with a few friends and shaking a few hands, I went over to the Ypsilanti City Hall to see Pete Murdock, who was collecting the numbers on absentee votes. After learning of his landslide, I went home and sat on the couch with my children who wanted to stay up to watch the returns. I put them to bed when the election was called in favor of Obama, and I stayed up to watch the speeches.
I teared up watching Obama's speech. Never before have I been a part of a national election that felt so historic and that felt so good. This is an election I will never forget.
Leave me a comment. What was your election day like? Do you have a story? Please share. |
Last evening, a packed EMU Convocation Center partied to the sounds of Buckcherry, Saving Abel, Shinedown and Avenged Sevenfold. The show was amazing, with EMU students, townies like Meredith and myself, and many others, like Crazy Dave and his wife.
The evening finished with Avenged Sevenfold, who put on a great show as well. It was clear that the younger in the crowd had come for them, and the older, like us, were there for Buckcherry.
It was quite a luxurious and fun way to enjoy a concert this long, from its start at 6:15 until its end around 11.
