The Anchorage Municipal Elections were held Tuesday. I agreed to be an official again, which I vowed I wouldn’t do after the November general election left me exhausted, but my friend Barbara asked again.
I arrived at 6:30am just as a snow storm began with big white flakes. From our vantage, it looked like the snow on TV when it isn’t in tune with the station. The halls of West High were unusually quiet because the 9th and 10th graders were testing. They gave us one less table because of this.
As the voters drifted in through the snow, one or two at a time, we watched the snack and drink machines being refilled, and a security guard sitting suspiciously quiet by the front door. I later tried to get a drink but the machine kept taking quarters and not registering any money. I left my cell phone in the bathroom where I had removed my long underwear since we didn’t have a cold draft as I had anticipated. The sly sleepy security guard had it, thank goodness.
My job was to find the voter’s name on the register, highlight the box above it, X in the box whether they gave me a Voter ID, were personally known (PK), or “other ID”. This was usually a driver’s license, but could be a soldier’s ID who just got back from Iraq and couldn’t wait to go again (he came with his parents who were very proud). Then I turned the whole register around for their signature in the highlighted rectangle. If it was busy, they received a card saying “Signed register” and passed it to Pat who handed them a ballot inside a security folder, and then were told to be sure to vote both sides of the ballot.
Another official stood by the big black box where the voter put the security sleeve with ballet. It magically sucked the ballot out and counted the votes. You could put the ballot in either side top or bottom and it still could count correctly. At this station, you got to hand the voters their “I voted today” sticker. While you waited for a finished voter to supervise the sucking of the ballot (sometimes they wouldn’t go through), you could tear off stickers ahead of time. Barbara told us that years ago the League of Women Voters gave out small yellow feathers to voters, but they became too expensive.
I had the alphabet from A to K, and Margaret had K to Z. In the morning, the line was longer at K to Z. In the afternoon, it was reversed. Someone said that A to K slept in. Everyone was patient in line, even when the official knew the signing voter and was having a conversation about their children or their recent travels, plumbing problems or knitting.
Most of the officials have been doing this job for 30 years or more. The voters still asked about Pauline Martin who died two years ago who was the head official for eons. The other long time official, whom I think I replaced, just lost her husband, so she may be able to replace me when I move. This continuity of service results in a neighborhood open house. Everyone has the opportunity to catch up on all their neighbors, and not just the officials. Voters talk with other neighbor voters. We should offer coffee and cookies so they could justify staying even longer and running into even more neighbors. Our precinct has a higher that usual turnout, most likely because of this once or twice a year gathering. Margaret knows so many people (she is proud to mark PK when they sign the register), that she can recognize and differentiate Elizabeth S _____ and Elizabeth K ______ who both have the same last name.
It amazes me that there are so many elderly voters who come faithfully. Wheelchairs, canes, shuffling walk, (through that snow, remember). Many have family members or caregivers assisting. One elderly lady said she had voted in every election since she was 21. Old sourdoughs, whose names everyone in Anchorage are familiar with were there. One such lady (I PK her because she is a neighbor) still has her upturned 1950’s glasses and ‘50’s fur coat, all decked out with full makeup and high heels. Another conversation in this over 80 (even 90 to 100) crowd is about who died last year. One notable voter who lost her former Governor husband recently, and always wears a hat, probably voted absentee this year. We all looked for her.
The most interesting part for me was recognizing the faces of so many people I have known who have drifted in and out of my life through the 35 years I’ve been in Anchorage, and how much older some of them look today. I guess I look older to them as well. It is even more poignant since my husband and I will be moving out of Anchorage in June.
Throughout the day television crews visit our precinct. For some reason they always choose Precinct 645. I was probably on two channels at least. We usually have a notable candidate or two who vote here. Too bad we don’t have Sarah Palin. I would have been interested to see if she had a retinue, and if she brought a child or two or three.
We have over 1,600 people on our register. However I recognized several, who had passed on, or moved out of state, or lived elsewhere now. Questioned ballots, a tedious process, are usually used by voters who have moved and don’t know yet where their new precinct is located. The questioned ballots are “gently” folded in thirds and placed in a special envelope by the voter. One couple who could have given birth to their twins that day, lived within walking distance, but their precinct was at North Star school. They patiently filled out their questioned ballots after venturing to the State voting location which was closed.
So out of 1,600 on the roles, we had 596 ballots. If you allow for a 20% inaccuracy of the register, and the number of absentee and early voters (another 10%), we had a pretty good turnout. I get 57%. At the general election in November with the write in candidacy of Lisa Murkowski which drew lots of reluctant voters, we did exceptionally well for a mere Municipal election. With these calculations Iget 57%. Usually Municipal elections garner 20 to 30%. All day we set goals, the first being 400 voters. We cheered when we reached 500 and were rooting for 4 more voters to make the total 600. We had one last “runner” at 7:59pm. We actually had over 600 if you count the questioned ballots. We still got comments from the older voters about how sad it is that so many US citizens don't vote, and how many wars we fought to have the privilege.
At the end of the night, all the officials have to sign the results tape to certify the election in our Precinct. At that time we get to see how the vote went. The advantage of being an official is this firsthand knowledge of the results. For example, I knew right away in November that Lisa won.
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