My Mom was a poll worker when I was growing up. She was a secretary for the township and enjoyed working with numbers. My dad co owned a business in our town, “The Northville Electric Shop” with my grandfather. So on election Tuesday, we kids were expected to watch each other.
Early in the morning, mom would be at the polling site by 6:15 to set up the register of voters and to tabulate the voting machines. The machines were on a wall of switches. You would flip each selection one by one. You could check your selections and change one or more of the selections before you finalized your vote. With the opening of the curtain, the switches returned to their original positions and your votes produced a paper ballot.
Often, you would see two pairs of legs behind the curtain. one small and one large.
“Can I pull one Mommy?”
“No Honey, but I will let you open the curtain when we are done.”
Occasionally, the curtain would not close properly. Two poll workers would have to assist the voter, one from each party. My mother came from a long line of Democrats in our largely Republican town. My Dad’s family voted Republican. Dad would tease Mom by saying,
“Our votes cancel each other out.”
Mom insisted that she was an Independent.
“I vote for the best candidate,” she would reply.
“But Rita, most of your choices are Democrats.”
I am sure they discussed the pro and cons of different candidates but they never argued in front of us kids. Voting was secret and was taken seriously.
In the 60’s, mom would be at the polls into the late evening checking, tabulating and counting each vote. We would not see her until the next morning. She was proud to be a part of the election process.
Voting machines have changed. The blind, deaf and physically challenged can vote independently and in private. Ear phones, auditory reading of the ballet and keys to mark the ballot can be done by computer. The children watch as their parent or older sibling vote. One by one, the voters bring their sleeved ballot to be processed by machine. The system ensures a private and secure voting experience.
This year, there are more choices. absentee ballets, early voting and of course, voting on the first Tuesday in November. Wear your I voted sticker proudly. Casting your ballot is your right and privilege.
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***. poem
Ballot
busy. workers checking IDs
all voters wait in line
long lines are a tradition
learning from elders, children watch
one ballot people mark their choices
time will show the results
carolaspot@aol.com
November 4th 2024 copyrighted
traveling up and down the blind highway 