Polling Place, again

In March I wrote about volunteering to work four days in the polling place during the primary election. 

For the general election I asked to be closer to home and was assigned the local school district office. It the same place I go to observe the school board meetings so I familiar with both the building and the people work there.

We made it into the local paper!

I learned that Monday was Election Hero Day

Doing my part

Polling Place

I had volunteered for the primary election in June 2016 and decided to give it a try again. Training included three hours in person and three hours online, starting with a video about defusing angry or violent voters. 😬

There was a lot to learn,

but it made more sense when I was there in person.

The first day was very quiet and I had time to read and crochet.
On election day it was so busy that it was hard to take a break.

My tasks included guiding people to right place, depending whether they were dropping off a ballot or voting in person. I helped deal with people waiting in line, which happened briefly a few times on election day. Only once did I have to ask someone to remove something that had a candidate's name, which is considered electioneering. I taught people how to use the electronic voting tablet and helped with technical issues (anyone is allowed to help except an employer or a union rep). Mostly I checked people in and handed them their ballots. I did make one mistake, which meant the person could not track her ballot online. Not great, but not bad for forty hours of work.

The hardest part was listening to repeated concerns about fraud when I was there doing my part to ensure the system was fair. The other people working the polling place were a mix of parties, ages, ethnicities, and were also a mix of volunteers and paid workers. I am not sure if this helped people feel more comfortable with the process. 

All voters were mailed a ballot that could be returned through USPS with postage already paid, it could be returned to special drop boxes at places like libraries, and it could be returned to a polling place. Some polling places were open eleven days and others only four days, including 7a-8p on election day. Anyone could vote at any polling place in all of Los Angeles County (about 4700 square miles, larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined). Despite that two sets of people came after we were closed and it was sad to turn them away.

If I could choose all the same people to work with then I would definitely say yes to volunteer again in November. I don't think I have ever been surrounded by so many calm, patient, and helpful people. There was not one lost temper or raised voice the whole time!

Busy weekend - Saturday

I love going to water polo games, although
it turns out I love it more when the team wins.

Village Venture seemed a slightly smaller, but still busy enough and filled with people we hadn't seen in over a year. 

I liked that there were some hands-on activities.

I saw one of our favorite trash and recycling guys,
who said he is on a different route now.

My very favorite booth is
the golden retriever rescue group.

I finished that day volunteering at the League of Women Voters booth. It used to be busy because of upcoming elections, but now the state and local elections all happen on even years. The California primary was moved from June to March, which was the biggest news we had to share.

The Usual

When there is time to write I have nothing to say, but life has been so full I have forgotten to take pictures.

photo from Facebook
Tonight our international student arrives and will stay with us for five nights until the dorms open.

photo from Pomona's sustainability page

Today was the recoop sale when the sustainability people sell all the stuff people got rid off in May (fans, closet organizers, binders, etc.). I don't need anything, but there are always a few treasures like board games, a solar lantern, and an electric tea kettle.

A chunk of time was spent preparing for the League of Women Voters kick-off event for their voter engagement initiative. The goal is get leaders of organizations, anyone with a web page or social media presence, to encourage their followers to vote. The League tends to reach current voters with traditional methods and efforts are being made to branch out.

High school registration is labor intensive (so much paperwork even though most forms are completed online prior to arriving at the school) and many volunteers are needed. Originally I had a cushy job marking completed forms but I was quickly transferred to the student ID/school picture site. It took a little more thought, but it still gave me a chance to see students and some parents. I think A. got both a good ID picture and a good schedule (not which is more important!).

One of my favorite mornings was spent with the amazing person I used to care for as a nanny. Kindergarten starts next week and I will get to do pickup at noon sometimes. It will be great to have someone to play with, bake with, and read favorite books to!

Learning something new

swimming, fencing, riding, shooting, and running

Before today I could not even name the five disciplines in the pentathlon, but now I can name them and even tell you which was Gen. George S. Patton's weakest sport. The UIPM is live streaming the events, which you can see here.

Swimming is often the weakest sport for pentathletes, who are required to swim 200 meters.

The women swam today and tomorrow are the men's heats.

The top thirty-six swimmers qualify for the semi-finals and the top eighteen are in the finals. This week's competition is important because it helps them qualify for the Pan-Am games in Peru. The top five athletes from there automatically qualify for the Olympics.

We even got some loot - a shirt (choice of small or 2XL), a water bottle, and a ticket to the LA Co. Fair in September because the Fairplex is one of the organizers.

It's been a great event to support, although I might not say so if it were raining.

Will I Miss This?

Last week I donated to and volunteered my time for the German Club's Oktoberfest. We were lucky that the weather was pleasant and I was lucky not to be cooking the sausages. I especially enjoyed seeing students I had not seen since they were in elementary school. Nice group of kids at the high school!

 These pictures are from a few years ago, but not much has changed.

I was back on campus on Saturday for the speech and debate team's tournament. My job was to keep the judges fed and happy. This picture is not of that event, but it had the same feel to me!

Another week, another event on campus. Today was pie day for teachers (yes, I understand that it was not March 14, but that is pi day - two different things). It was fun to work at such an easy event - making people happy with very little effort. Plus I enjoyed seeing the faculty and staff.

No volunteering at school next Wednesday since the schools are closed. Good idea to schedule training for the day after Halloween!

Civic duty

Last election there was a flyer on the table asking for volunteers.  I signed it and forgot it.  A few months ago I saw Los Angeles Registrar pop up on the caller id and was curious so I answered it.  The person asked if I would still like to volunteer and I thought, "The primary is in June.  Who will possibly show up?" and said yes.  She asked if I would like to be an inspector (one step up from clerk) and I suggested that she call back if she were desperate.  She said she was desperate now.  Meet your new inspector!

I attended the training and then went back for a repeat class since there was so much to learn.  Did you know wearing a button promoting your favorite candidate is considered electioneering?  Did you know you could bring someone with you to help you cast your ballot as long as it is not your boss or union leader?  Did you know if you make a mistake you get two more chances?

bedtime reading

And then it was election day!  Three precincts were housed in this fire station.

photo credit Brian van der Brug for the L.A. Times 11/2012
I wonder what it would be like to work at a swimming pool!

This was my view most of the day.

The papers wrote about problems some people had (here and here).  We had problems, but I had nothing to compare it to so I just went about dealing with each issue as it occurred.  

Examples include people being listed as having received a ballot in the mail but the voter did not receive it (solution: person votes provisionally and registrar verifies that no mail-in ballot was received.)  The country does count verified provisional ballots before it certifies the election.  Another problem was almost running out of Democratic Party ballots, which we were told would not be delivered from Norwalk.  There was an emergency plan, but in the end we had fourteen unused ballots.  Whew.

The most frequent question is whether I would do it again.  It felt like an enormous responsibility, but it was helpful to talk to a fellow volunteer who said in all her years this was the second most difficult election she has worked, so how much harder could it be next time?  (Just kidding, I would never say that out loud!)  We'll see!

Leftovers

Each month I take pictures with blog posts in mind and each month I have pictures leftover that have never been used.  Here are a few.

Outside the Coliseum, currently used for USC football games.  

Formerly used for the 1932 and 1984 Olympics.

Many trees in the neighborhood did not survive the drought.

In Millikan Lab

"A digital planetarium, its dome visible from College Avenue and Sixth Street, will provide a 360-degree, immersive view of the night sky and will, among other features, allow for seasonal adjustments and tracking celestial movements. It also gives the flexibility to not only view the sky as visible from earth, but from points far distant in space and time.

The planetarium will give the College a way to reach out to the larger community, both on and off campus, through special events, such as original multimedia performances featuring video and music, and astronomy classes for local schools and community organizations."

Volunteering at Village Venture

Teachers had an in-service day and A. wanted to go bowling.

Here they are entering their very silly names.  

No need to learn to keep score.  Too bad.

More endings

Yesterday I picked up the yearbooks from the printer and delivered them to the school.  Today they were distributed to the students and teachers.  Even though it was a great feeling to see them poring over the pictures and signing each others books I will never do that project again!

A. was happy that artwork he created with a friend
was selected by his peers to be on the back cover.

In addition to finishing up my time as elementary school volunteer I also
finished up as an employed nanny.  I am hoping to be hired as a consultant!

Appreciation

The school held a Volunteer Appreciation event, which I used as a time to recruit a new science fair coordinator!  They also brought out all the students to sing a few songs for us, including the Sycamore song and a vocal and signed version of Melanie White's Believe.  Another great year is almost at an end.

Tooting My Own Horn

Maybe all blog posts toot my horn?

I was very surprised and very honored to be named Claremont Unified School District Volunteer of the Year.

with the school board, superintendent, and student reps

I wasn't suspicious when D. made sure I was going to ride my bike to the meeting (so he could use the car) and didn't see him as he cycled past the window with the flowers, but I should have known something was up when he got home before 6 p.m.!  Behind this great volunteer is a great family!