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Voting Duty
Whoever thought voting would come to this?
Is voting a pleasurable experience for you? How do your poll workers make you feel? Do your poll workers make voting a fast, friendly and professional experience?
Voting use to be a civic duty which today is often overlooked and taken for granted. But Voting does seem to be coming back to life. I think more people are regaining confidence in the system, and seeing and realizing the importance and power in voting.
Here’s a quick one for you: You can be an adult, jump and shout in church, distract all day long, but the kids. I guess it is an adult only spiritual thing. If we conducted ourselves accordingly, would that make a difference in our kids?
At times I am offered to work the polls and I do because I feel it to be a good patriotic duty and opportunity for me to get involved. Today, a good friend and colleague told me not to talk so much on the job though and how golden silence is while you are working. Knowing me, I was taken aback and conducted myself accordingly, but it just did not set right. She was saying there are some jobs where you cannot carry on friendly conversation with the patrons, like voting duty – conflict of interest. That you cannot and should not engage in friendly conversation with voters while working the polls; for fear that you may upset someone. Why don’t you just do your job and… Why jeopardize, destroy, take chance and a whole bunch more of what I most commonly refer to as “professional bullshit. She said I should weigh the pros and cons. That we just got the stupid thing so why tear it up? The polls are not the place for fun and games. I have been to many polls where workers try to be so official and professional they push aside common courtesy. You wonder why the heck you came to the polls to be subjected to such a stuck up mentality. They are neither friendly nor professional. Hey, lighten up, where is your personal touch? Whatever happened to the Mayberry RFD mentality? Poll workers can also make you feel your voting is worthless and stupid, “your own right to vote”. Most workers are trying so hard to perfect the art of professionalism they forget about the civic duty.
So what I was told is true to a certain extent, so I thought I would come here and continue expressing my voice, joy and enthusiasm for voters.
The only way I know to do this, is to educate voters and poll workers on the importance of attitude, personality while voting and on poll duty. There is a big difference between encouraging voter turnout and encouraging for whom to vote. This is the one day every person really counts or is it votes? Voters are the most important thing to poll workers and poll workers are the most important thing to voters. Without influencing votes, Poll workers are the first step to making voting a pleasant experience and civic duty.
Why cannot voting be fun and games? Would not that make voting more attractive? It’s all automated.
Voting is also an investment in our future! How many times do “people in poverty” feel empowered and can come together and make a difference? If you don’t know the importance and impact of coming to the polls, how can you learn, when poll workers are such a drag? Talk about it, what are you hiding?
Seeing our people come out to vote by whatever means and with whatever handicaps excite me, especially our young people. I am so excited to be in the company of such powerful, inspirational voters coming out on their own accord and doing what they are supposed to. That if I want my voters to continue participating and grow, as a poll worker, I should do something to make their voting experience as pleasant as possible.Motivate the motivator.
I owe it to them and myself to show some kind of appreciation above and beyond presenting my voting sticker. I can personally show my appreciation by thanking each and every voter. That some kind of way, I can make them feel special for fulfilling their civic duty. If there is any one day where you can be commended folk for coming out and fulfilling their civic duty, what day would be better than voting day?
While in the booth, I see voting as a spiritual quest.
Now, I am 54 years young and for one time, you see the rich and poor on equal footing, with the rich knowing they are outnumbered, but thinking, am I still more powerful. How can I make this machine vote my man in so we can continue tricking them into thinking they are powerless? Then you see “the people” coming out in masses, by all means to settle their difference in a peaceful and humane way. So how can you not be excited, inspired and determined to vote? Do you know how many have died and the hostilities behind voting? So why not flip the script, while you have a script?
It is times like these I come to fully understand the empowerment and the promise of the American dream and it gives me great pleasure to be a part a the team to help make this dream happen. Somehow I relate all of that to the loss of our jobs. As professional as we are, look like our jobs would still be here.
In the not so distant future, I see poll duty and voting being done early and at home, therefore I think this message to be perfect timing. How will you get this message across when voters are home?
As a poll worker, I do my very best to ensure my voters feel welcome and appreciated by giving them the very best voting experience I can give them. I see encouraging voters to come out to the polls as my job. No, not telling them for whom to vote, but do come back. In my eyes, if a peach sticker can help make a difference, so can I. So, if you do not see me at the polls any more, know that.
(((you inner voice.com)))
