Early Voting Day 1
The woman had a little kid with her. I scan her card to find her in the voter files. Look up. "Oh! I just voted for you! Wait, I'm probably not supposed to say that...."
As the couple were heading to different registration clerks, I heard her say "It's our first time voting together." I'd said the same words the day before as we filled in our absentee ballots at the kitchen table and smiled at them. Not that they saw, behind the mask and all.
Early Voting Day 2
Mother
and daughter entered the center together. Mom went to one clerk,
daughter came to me. We're working on getting her registered--she has
her passport but nothing with her address. ("Not a problem, we'll use a
special ballot.") At some point during the paperwork, she mentions being
up since 2 this morning. "Has quarantine turned you nocturnal?" "No. My
dad died this morning. But I'm still here to vote." Later, when the
clerk next to me shouts a celebratory "First time voter" and the cheers
erupt, I wish I had thought to do the same for this Gen-Zer.
The
older woman who told me it was her first time voting. She was wearing a
purple raincoat and had crossed the city to come to our center because
she heard it had a shorter line. (I didn't lead cheers for her either.)
The
joy of the Nats fans having a way to wear their jerseys, caps, and
masks into the stadium. Even if it's not for a game. (Though I also
delight in the guy who wore his Boston Red Sox gear. Turns out I like
sports teams much better than political teams.)
Early Voting Day 3
The
woman wore a shirt from the Southern Baptist affiliated but looks
non-dom praise band church around corner from me. She may have needed to
update her address (I never was clear which place she currently lived
at and which was old). It was clear that her drivers license hadn't been
updated. --People are telling me they can't get in until March. Though
one guy who signed up for an appointment months ago has it on his
calendar for January.) Not a problem! Do you have anything with your
address on it that you can pull up on your phone? A lease? A paycheck? A
bank statement? A bill? "No. They're all in my husband's name." She
presented as privileged, so it didn't hit me until after she walked away. Not even a bank account with your name on it? Really? My
neighbor clerk said it best, "I didn't think those women existed any
more."
The trickle of people coming in to vote, even on a rainy day.
Early Voting Day 4
The guy wore a bespoke suit, but I complimented him on choosing to wear the US flag mask to vote. "Oh, thank you. Not everyone appreciates it." I would've squinted at him, but we'd had enough confusion already. By the time I finished updating his registration, I wasn't surprised that he was Republican.
Early Voting Day 6
It'd been a slow shift, but I appreciated that the woman working the door sent people to each registration clerk in turn. It meant we all knew that the next person who walked in was going to table 9. "You're heading to the back, but you need to stop by my table first!" It was one of my church sisters. Someone who I had asked for her thoughts about the election back when we had a slate of candidates for the primaries and could sit side by side on a couch in the Sunday School room eating snacks after church. After I signed out for the day, I saw her in front of me at the exit. We walked towards our homes, talking.
Early Voting Day 7
Ainsley Hayes lives next door to me. Or at least a current, non-fictional counterpart? Blonde. Southern. Registered Republican, but in a tone of voice that is consistent with my headcanon that Ainsley currently works at the Lincoln Project and is not voting for the current resident of the oval office.
Last Day of Voting
The mother, daughter, and grandchild who came in together (only the first two could vote). The woman, a couple of years older than me, who was there with her 18 year old daughter.
The marine whose proof of residence was a letter from a commanding officer. He wanted to vote in Ohio, but the ballot didn't make it in time, so he used the same-day registration to cast his ballot here.
The cheers when first time voters submitted their ballots. Echoing across the school gym.
The woman who, when she was leaving, said, "Go Joe! Who ya'll voting for?" We couldn't tell her, but we knew.
