Pollwatching in Northern Virginia

Voting went off without a hitch today at my precinct at Tysons Corner where I was a pollwatcher for the Democrats.

When I reported “for duty” at 5:30 a.m., about 100 persons whom I could see in the dark to count, stood waiting for the polls to open at 6 a.m.

By the time I left at 2 p.m. some provisional ballots had been cast, but no serious, not even mild, problems had occurred, other than one of the touch screen machines breaking down twice which was restored to duty shortly thereafter by whom or what? I do not know.

(What happened? How do they know those votes are saved? In pollwatcher school, we were instructed to cast paper ballots when possible, but most people, not realizing I think, the paper trail left by paper ballots, wanted to stand in the longer line for the machines.)

One woman who missed the voter registration deadline of October 6 and had only registered to vote last week, showed up “hoping,” and even she voted by provisional ballot. That she could even submit a vote was an indication of the progressive attitude of voting officials who generally approved every questionable voter.

Two other representatives of the Democratic Party joined me “inside”: an attorney who stayed all day and another pollwatcher. We had three people outside. Throughout the day the Good Providence Democrats brought us doughnuts, coffee, bananas, and paper bag lunches they had made.

In addition to monitoring the voting process, our chief duty was to record the names of voters on the Democratic list whose names were picked up by runners at 9:30 a.m. and at 2 p.m. for submission to the data bank so that the party and volunteers could contact non-voters to urge them to get to the polls before closing at 7 p.m.

No McCain representatives came to pollwatch and from the window, I could see only one McCain supporter outside who didn’t stay long, maybe because those high heels were too high. She was dressed like Cindy McCain, in leather coat and dark hose. She violated the 40’ rule by leaving her “McCain/Palin” stickers on her red coat when she entered the building twice, but no one reported her. If it had not been for the elderly woman wearing a diamond donkey on her chest whom no one criticized at my book, I would have reported Cindy McCain’s violation at Tysons.

Then there was the man who returned for his “I voted today” sticker so he could go to Starbucks, he said, and get a free cup of coffee. This was the same man carrying a Salvatore Ferragamo purse in a bag which he was returning to the store, he said, for his “significant other” who wanted a bigger Ferragamo emblem to show off. “You see what you women make us do,” he laughed. No wonder he needed free coffee!

In the early morning voters told us they waited one hour and 15 minutes to vote, but by lunchtime, lines had vanished.

Without question the most thrilling part of the day was witnessing “Alex,” whom I registered to vote, show up to cast his ballot and seeing my neighbor, a naturalized citizen from China who works for a federal agency and feared for her job security if anyone found out she supported Barack Obama, vote for the first time.

Now it’s time to get ready for the big Mark Warner party down the street. It’s a good thing it’s nearby so I can crawl home.

Happy days are almost here again!