Election Day Etiquette

By: VaNative
Published On: 11/10/2007 3:44:36 PM

I like working at the polls. No actually, I love working at the polls.  While I have great respect for the inside poll workers, I'd rather be outside with the freedom to talk about the candidates and politics in general.

I enjoy the camaraderie with my Republican counterparts. Well, except for one year when he insisted on saying "Thank you for making the process work" to each departing voter in a sing song voice - two or three hundred times.  Then again, he was working for Ollie North.

 
Like most of us, I've done it in glorious weather and for hours in cold, rainy weather, convinced I will end up with pneumonia.

This year, however, I really question whether I want to do it again.  I don't think I've ever encountered such rudeness and animosity - on the part of the voters, not the Republican workers.  Is it because of the deluge of material in the mail? The negative overload on network television?  Who knows, but it's simple enough to say "no thank you" or "I know for whom I'll be voting", or hey, how about graciously accepting material from both parties?  And not one person recycled the material while I was there.

On Tuesday, one voter told us if we mentioned our candidate, she wouldn't vote for him/her, a great method for determining who you want in government.  Another spewed something about white demagoguery - and that was directed at me before I could even indicate who my candidate(s) might be!  And yet another nastily told me I had better not cross the (30 foot) line - or else (I didn't).  And yet another (election official) voiced something I considered inappropriate.

Politeness disappeared on Election Day where I was working.  I might be sitting it out next time.

Comments



Where was this? (Lowell - 11/10/2007 3:55:36 PM)
n/t


PWC (VaNative - 11/10/2007 4:15:08 PM)
-- in the 29th.


Somehow... (Lowell - 11/10/2007 4:20:06 PM)
I'm not surprised, given the level of vitriol over illegal immigration that has been stoked in PWC in recent months.


Nor am I - (VaNative - 11/10/2007 4:35:13 PM)
but it is disheartening nonetheless.


Agreed. (Lowell - 11/10/2007 4:59:43 PM)
The question is, what to do about it?  I'd hate to see the nasty people win.


I don't know - (VaNative - 11/10/2007 5:56:14 PM)
But I am concerned that this is an area heading in the wrong direction.


No advocacy (PM - 11/10/2007 5:24:42 PM)
From my experience, the best thing is to do no advocacy -- people have their minds made up.  As a voter, I find it annoying.

What I like to do is make sure the table I'm at is clearly identified as a Democratic lit table, and then say (actually when the person is about 10 feet away) "Sample Democratic ballots if you need one."  Lowest pressure possible.

People do occasionally vent about all the robocalling, or calls in general.  Campaigns have to learn to moderate their usage.  I just agree sympathetically -- and I am sympathetic.  I feel a lot of campaign activity is invasive and not productive.



Changing the System (VaNative - 11/10/2007 6:02:32 PM)
Then perhaps we need to rethink the way we go about it.  I am not an in your face person.  I politely ask if you are voting, and if the response is yes, I say hope you will vote for x - but people do have questions and a surprising number come to the polls unprepared.

I think we all have a different trigger point.  The calls were easy to avoid.  The influx of campaign material - duplicates - was mind numbing.

I've never found it annoying (poll workers), perhaps because I've done it for so many years.  And I've found that it is easy to be polite.  Just as easy as it is to be rude.



I also worked the polls (again) in PWC 51st (Barbara - 11/11/2007 10:08:09 PM)
I guess my experience was different.  Early morning my Republican counterparts were people from last year, so we kind of picked up where we left off last November.  From mid-morning until the end of the day, the Republican on duty was Mr. Gill's son, which made things interesting. 

Sadly, there will always be ignorant and rude people, but still I love working at the polls. 



When I worked, I asked if the person would like a DEMOCRATIC sample ballot. (pol - 11/11/2007 10:46:36 PM)
I emphasized "Democratic."  I was amazed at how many people actually took one.  In years past, many people said "No," rudely.  This year, I remember only one.  I was also amazed at the number of people who came to me and said, "Is that a Democratic sample ballot?  That's what I want."  Other pollworkers told me the same thing this time.  That was SO refreshing, for a change.

I worked in Prince William County.