Easy To Miss

From a Halloween Costume to Thanksgiving Day

Maybe it is a guy thing or it might just be a me thing.  I am peering into the pantry for an ingredient for a recipe.  I exhaust all shelves searching but honestly I could have been distracted by the container of dark chocolate peanut butter cups that I did not know we had.  I later realize the ingredient was in the pantry but I had a totally different vision of what it was suppose to look like.  This is my feeble attempt in revealing I have tendencies. 

So the story begins in September when my wife points out to me a flyer that came in the mail explaining the need for Poll Observers at the upcoming November Election.  I immediately have interest as the last presidential election made no sense to me as where all the votes mysteriously showed up from in the middle of the night.

After going through three training sessions I sign up for observing at Absentee Vote counting at the courthouse, Early Voting for three shifts and two shifts on Election Day.  My sole focus is to do my part in making sure only registered voters with the proper ID vote.

The locations I am observing for Early Voting and Election Day Voting are not areas I normally frequent.  I find a common denominator that my initial reception is chilly but with my blinders on I am determined to hold my ground.  I could tell when I put on my observer name tag with party affiliation I was truly outnumbered.  I love people though and since I was going to be at each location for several hours I decided within the observing rules to at least show a few Halloween pictures and before the site officially opened, to ask the Chief Judge and other election workers about their Halloween experiences and also about their families.  I notice a faint grin or two when a Wendy’s cheeseburger homemade costume our daughter and I made comes up on my screen.  Anything to change the vibe in the room.

As the tabulator tape showed “0” and the doors were officially opened, I immediately pulled out my rigorous binder with highlighted points to check on during each shift.   I must confess a lifelong struggle of mine has been the battle of fixation on my objective while actually still breathing and generating somewhat of a pleasant look on my face.  I continued during the first hour in listening to the check in process which is where a proper ID is presented and the voter announces their address.  As time wore on I became aware of how the Chief Judge / Site Supervisors run their election sites with a sense of pride in not only following the rules but in being efficient to help the voter have a pleasing experience.  I also met many fine election workers who put in a tremendous amount of hours for minimal pay.

Bottom line is my poll observing experience was extremely rewarding.  You will never guess that to my surprise, the gratifying takeaway was, I met some really cool people.  There was the observer with six children that the only thing we did not seem to have in common was our political party.  Great guy who seemed interested in what I had to say and I was so impressed with the work ethic he and his wife instilled in their children.  Then there was this election worker who not only did her job at the tabulator but when there was a slowdown, she was sweeping the floor.  I saw her at two different locations and you just felt good being around her.  Lastly, I will never forget the hug I received from the Chief Judge at a site I worked in High Point, NC.  It was important to her that all workers were recognized and appreciated.

What dawned on me was I got to experience an authentic play depicting exactly what Jonathan Robbins’ message was from Summit Church in Kernersville, NC in his last of a three part series called “Allegiance.”  “This election is important and no matter who you vote for we all need to walk away from the result with one key thought.  Love thy neighbor.”

My only regret is not getting contact information from some of those that I made a personal connection. I catalogued two smiles though and I hope we will meet again.  Thankful for my experiences, I hope to grow from them.  My remote on Thanksgiving has a history of being focused on parades and football in Detroit and Dallas.  It is important to me to take time for acknowledging people that have made my fall days brighter when it could have been a confrontational, tense time.

Of course I must also translate this lesson into the area of my palate.   As I savor in my mind the delicious gravy, turkey, and stuffing that fortunately will be available later this week I take a moment.  Holy smokes!  I almost missed my younger sister’s cranberry relish!