Nov. 7th, 2012 05:04 pm
Election night
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muckefuckHere's the Trib on voter disenfranchisement, Chicago-style. I saw this happen at my own polling place, which I showed up at fifteen minutes before closing. There were three people in line in front of me (all minority women, as it turned out), none of whom was registered in my same precinct. The two Latinas were more fortunate; their polling place was two (long) blocks due south, and one of the judges was confident they could make it there before 7 p.m. But no one had a clue where the young black woman needed to go. They told her the number to call, but she replied "There's no point, is there? I couldn't make it there before they close." And she was right.
Yes, I know, the Board of Elections sent everyone letters two months ago with the changes, but it's easy for notifications like that to get lost among the junk mail. Moreover, it's the kind of thing you wouldn't know to look out for if you didn't know to look out for it. What I mean is, some voters' polling stations had been the same for twenty years or more. Why should they expect that they'd change overnight? And I do mean "overnight"--one of my coworkers found that her actual polling place was not the same one she'd been told it would be the night before.
A lot of people I know were down on the election judges, but what do you honestly expect from amateurs paid barely $5 more than minimum wage?
Yes, I know, the Board of Elections sent everyone letters two months ago with the changes, but it's easy for notifications like that to get lost among the junk mail. Moreover, it's the kind of thing you wouldn't know to look out for if you didn't know to look out for it. What I mean is, some voters' polling stations had been the same for twenty years or more. Why should they expect that they'd change overnight? And I do mean "overnight"--one of my coworkers found that her actual polling place was not the same one she'd been told it would be the night before.
A lot of people I know were down on the election judges, but what do you honestly expect from amateurs paid barely $5 more than minimum wage?