Working the polls on Super Tuesday
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2020 12:38 am
As one of the last frontiers of the internet where I may speak my piece politically, I thought I would document my experience as a poll worker this Super Tuesday in San Diego, California. I am also enamored by numbers, so expect lots of those.
This year, California is attempting a few paradigm shifts in its election. In most of Southern California, residents may register to vote AND vote on election day, which prompted an extra (fifth) poll worker at each precinct. Since I work well with machines, I've also been trained as a Technical Inspector for my precinct, though I'm primarily going to be working with new voters. What I find most fascinating, is that our county has almost entirely done away with electronic voting machines. Other than sensory assistance machines for those who need them, all voters will be marking their ballot choices in ink. All ballots are sealed in security boxes, and the first and last voters in line must sign paperwork as witnesses to the sealing of the ballot boxes.
There are 2,136 precincts in San Diego County, and now five poll workers at each precinct, for a total of 10,680 volunteers in SDC alone this year. That's 10,680 people that are getting up in time to report at 5:30am, and work with strangers until around 10:30pm. We're all getting a small stipend for our time. Though below minimum wage, the collective stipends in San Diego County will run more than 1.2 million dollars.…
I'm going to set up my precinct tomorrow evening… Will update after… Anyone else out there working a poll?
Robbie
This year, California is attempting a few paradigm shifts in its election. In most of Southern California, residents may register to vote AND vote on election day, which prompted an extra (fifth) poll worker at each precinct. Since I work well with machines, I've also been trained as a Technical Inspector for my precinct, though I'm primarily going to be working with new voters. What I find most fascinating, is that our county has almost entirely done away with electronic voting machines. Other than sensory assistance machines for those who need them, all voters will be marking their ballot choices in ink. All ballots are sealed in security boxes, and the first and last voters in line must sign paperwork as witnesses to the sealing of the ballot boxes.
There are 2,136 precincts in San Diego County, and now five poll workers at each precinct, for a total of 10,680 volunteers in SDC alone this year. That's 10,680 people that are getting up in time to report at 5:30am, and work with strangers until around 10:30pm. We're all getting a small stipend for our time. Though below minimum wage, the collective stipends in San Diego County will run more than 1.2 million dollars.…
I'm going to set up my precinct tomorrow evening… Will update after… Anyone else out there working a poll?
Robbie