Election Training

I went for my two-hour election board training today, and it was an interesting experience. I was in a room with about 200 other "chiefs" and "assistant chiefs" for the upcoming midterm elections. I was one of maybe two volunteers who hadn't had duty before.

The atmosphere was electric: there had been problems recently in Montgomery County, MD, and Fairfax County doesn't want to repeat the performance. And there are the details (boy, are there details). I have a thick, 3-ring binder that I have to memorize before Tuesday so that I can make sure that those who show up to vote and are eligible can vote. This will be an arduous process. I have to be there at 5 a.m. and can't leave until the polls close. That's at least 14 hours of duty. But I think it's my responsibility as an American to take part in the political process, and there are many ways to do that: volunteer for a political party; do jury duty; report crimes; respond when someone's in need. All of these things we can do and should do.

Here's an interesting statistic that I learned about this contentious election coming up: because it's not a presidential election, generally the voter turnout is much less. During other midterm elections, about 11,000 absentee ballots are filled out. However, Fairfax County expects approximately 30,000 absentee ballots when all is said and done. That's the equivalent of a presidential election. Tuesday is going to be really busy--so get out early and vote!

For information on voting in Prince William County, clink on the PW hyperlink. For Stafford County, click on that one. See you at the polls!