Poll Workers

I was just reading how some are complaining that sone Mexican polling places opened late.

And it reminded me of our local poll workers.

I've often been one of those annoying people outside the polls throwing fliers at you, asking you to volunteer, or to vote for some candidate or another. But as tough a job being a campaign staffer can be, thank god there are people who are willing, at least on that day, to have it at least as tough. Poll workers.

These are people who get up at the crack of dawn, are at their local polling place at 5:30 in the morning setting up for the doors to open at 6 AM sharp. They might be busy, as in a general election, or it might be painfully slow. But they are there, stuck in what can be a very small room from 5:30 am to 7:30 or 8:00 PM making sure that if 1000 people or 10 people show up, they each have their chance to cast a vote. And all this for what amounts to be not much pay for the work they do. Obviously, they are there for the love of democracy. And I think its great.

I think it's a very cool thing to be standing outside a polling place at 6 AM and seeing a poll worker coming outside to announce to nobody in particular, "The polls are open!"