Tales from Precinct 221900: Working the presidential primary
I started my day at the polls in Pacific Beach yawning and shivering, but proud to volunteer for democracy’s sake. Plus, I was looking forward to spending 15 hours with elderly people—I was bound to learn something new. But as the day wore on and I grew weary of saying “Be sure to fill in the bubbles completely,” a trend emerged that chipped away at my do-good attitude.
It seems people don’t like Spanish. We all know that immigration—and the perceived economic and cultural threats that come along with it—lend to heated debates. But I didn’t prepare for people demanding to know why we offered “Yo voté” stickers and Spanish-language ballots. These weren’t rhetorical questions meant to give them a platform to voice their opinion. They stood there waiting for an answer.
“Umm, some people might prefer to make a decision as huge as who might lead us out of recession, war and healthcare woes using a ballot in their native language?” I said with hesitation.
This wasn’t the answer people wanted. They wanted to hear, “I don’t know, but I agree with you.”
I was taken by surprise by these questions, but entirely offended by one woman in particular. She reached out for a “Yo voté,” but struggled to tear it from the booklet. I offered to help and then asked if she wanted a Spanish or English one, not knowing if she realized she was going for the Spanish. She stormed away saying “I was born and raised here! I speak English. Just because I’m dark….”
It was hard to hear. I was entirely innocent of racial profiling. I felt embarrassed, hurt, judged. But I guess she feels the same more often than I do, just because of the polarity in the immigration debate. Just because she’s dark…
I have worked at the polls three times as an assistant poll inspector. After the 2000 election — what shall we call it? — debacle, I wanted to know how our system worked first-hand.
It is an exhausting, confusing and thankless job. But I discovered that most poll workers are well meaning and honest.
Sorry you had to deal with being stuck in the middle of the immigration debate while making sure that people signed the right form and filled in the right bubbles. But really, I want to thank you for volunteering. I didn’t have the energy to do it this time, and I don’t know if I will do it again, but from my experiences I will forever say a big thank you to my poll workers when I pick up my “I Voted” (or for the fun of it “Yo Voté”) sticker.