Since there’s no Internet connection at the polling place I won’t be able to live-blog the election as I’d like. What follows is a transcription of the journal I kept throughout the day.
My assigned polling place although not my home precinct polling place is in the gym at Sauganash School. It’s only a block away so I’m walking.
- 5:03 am
- Arrived at the assigned polling place late. As usual. I was the first of the election judges to arrive so I opened the supplies case (ESC) and began to set up.
- 5:08 am
- I thought for a moment I would be flying solo. The second judge has arrived.
- 5:17 am
- The third election judge has arrived. This is a woman who never, ever reads the instruction manual. Joy.
- 5:30 am
- I moved the ESC to get it out of the traffic flow. The custodian immediately began to harangue me for marring his floor (in addition to the 10,000 other mars already there). In as calm and gentle a voice as I could manage I explained to him that I really couldn’t talk to him right then and that if he had any complaints he should call Election Central.
- 5:35 am
- The last assigned election judge arrives. Thank goodness it’s Alex. Alex is an accountant–his presence really takes the pressure off.
- 6:00 am
- Polls opened on time! Our first voter was ready for us. We expect a light turnout–30-35% compared to 85-90% turnout in the last general election. People just don’t get it. Chicago is a one-party system like Cuba or the People’s Republic of China. The primary is the election. So if you really want your vote to count, vote in the primary.
The procedure for each voter is exactly the same. Get the voter’s address. Get the voter’s name. Check the voter off on the precinct registry. Remove the voter’s application form from the precinct book. Pass to the next station. Have the voter sign the application. Verify the signature against the signature book. Initial the application. Pass to the next station. Initial the ballot. Issue the ballot to the voter. Pass to the next station. Offer the voter a demonstration. Direct the voter to an available booth.
When the voter has finished voting, instruct the voter to insert the ballot into the Precinct Ballot Counter (PBC). Overvote? Give the voter the alternatives of being issued a new ballot and starting over or accepting the ballot as-is. Undervote? Explain it to the voter and give the voter the alternatives of correcting the ballot or accepting the ballot as-is. Repeat until done.
- 7:30 am
- We’ve just processed our first Provisional ballot. Has this provisional ballot procedure been put in place as the result of some voting rights litigation? The short version of our instructions is that the if someone insists that they are qualified to vote in the precinct and registered to vote in the precinct, we can’t turn them away whether they have supporting documentation or not.
What we do is issue them a provisional ballot. These provisional ballots are not tabulated by the PBC but are placed in the ballot box to be eventually sent downtown to the Board of Election Commissioners where their final disposition will be determined.
In my opinion this is not a prudent procedure. I know my neighbors. Election Central does not. This procedure removes the decision-making process from a point that has the most information and the least opportunity for fraud and transfer it to a location with the least information and where fraud is relatively easy.
- 8:15 am
- The initial flurry is over. 36 of 426 voters have voted or just under 9%. In an hour we should have had at least a third of all the voters we’re going to see.
I expect the next flurry just before 8:30.
- 8:20 am
- A uniformed officer just came in to tell us that an armed white female in her twenties wearing a black jacket had been seen entering the building. Somebody tell Kim du Toit. Have your ever noticed that one of the surest ways to make people uneasy is to tell them not to panic?
I found her. She’s a police officer voting in one of the precincts with which we share quarters.
- 8:30 am
- We’ve discovered a significant flaaw in the ballot. The Delegate to the Democratic Convention directions say “Vote for 6”. In fine print it says “Delegate candidates are listed on more than one page”. We’ve had quite a few overvoted ballots as a result. We’ve decided tto give people detailed verbal instructions so they’re aware of the problem going into the booth. It’s going to be a long day.
- 9:05 am
- 47 of 426 or just over 10%. We’re right on schedule for a 30% turnout.
- 9:31
- We had a visit from a 2nd or 3rd grade class. 21 kids. 14 boys. You make the call. I’ve been judging in this precinct for three years and every class that’s toured through has had a similar ratio.
- 10:05 am
- 55 of 426 or just over 13% after 4 hours.
- 11:00 am
- 71 of 426 or just over 17% after 5 hours. We may hit 35% yet.
The number of spoiled ballots is extremely large. In prior years if we’ve had one or two spoiled ballots, it’s been a lot. Today 20% of the ballots have been spoiled. Although we’re trying our best to give voters all of the information we can the problems remain. The only solution to this problem is a better-informed electorate. No fully electronic system will help much.
- 12:01 am
- 89 of 426 after 6 hours.
- 12:34 am
- Half-way point. 91 of 426 or just under 23%.
- 1:21 pm
- 100 of 426 or just under 24%.
- 1:35 pm
- Went to my home precinct to vote. They’re running at about the same percentage turnout as we are, slightly better on spoiled ballots. Went home to give the dogs a potty break. They were grateful, to say the least.
- 2:18 pm
- 112 of 426 or 26% after 8 hours.
- 3:15 pm
- We’re over 30%. 132 of 426. Looks like we’ll make 35% or better. Just under four more hours to go.
One thing that’s absolutely clear is that people don’t understand the ballot and don’t understand the convention delegate system. If incumbents think that this works to their advantage they ought to reconsider. It’s a risky strategy. A small number of well-informed, well-trained supporters of a fringe candidate could achieve very surprising results that no poll could predict if the overall turnout is very low as it has been today.
- 4:01 pm
- 148 of 426 voters or 35%. How much over 40% will we get? This is still a pathetic turnout. 3 hours to go.
- 5:04 pm
- 168 of 426 or 40%. Wow! We may get to 50% yet. Two more hours to go.
This is point in the day when I really begin to drag. I’ll do my best not to snap at my fellow judges.
- 6:01 pm
- I am really amazed. 190 of 426 voters have voted reflecting a roughly 45% turnout. If the past is any judge that would suggest a turnout of 30-35% citywide. We have one hour until the polls close.
- 6:32 pm
- 292 if 426. We have proof positive that a highly detailed explanation of both the contents of the balot and the mechanics of the presidential nomination process enables voters to vote their intentions correctly. But such civics lessons are really beyond the scope of responsibility of us poor underpaid election judges. The political parties have really fallen down on the job here. Cynically, in my opinion. We’ve got a half-hour to go.
- 7:00 pm
- The polls have closed! 213 of 426 voters including absentee ballots. That’s exactly 50% and the worst turnout in this precinct since I’ve been judging here.
- 7:48 pm
- Well, we’ve finished tabulating and transmitting the results. We’ve done all of our paperwork and cleaned the area. All done.
Two of the judges–one Democrat, one Republican–will take the results and paperwork to the Collection Location which in our case is Haugen School, 10 minutes away by car.
I’ll report the precincts results later.
