First-time poll watcher finds voters - and democracy - surprisingly friendly

I haven’t been able to get this tune out of my head for two weeks: “I’m a girl watcher, I’m a girl watcher, watching girls go by, my-my- my…”

This began when I volunteered to be a poll watcher at the Sea Pines Community Center for the Democratic Club, South of the Broad - only the phrase in the song changed to “poll-watcher.” Over and over and over. Training for being a poll watcher is intense and involves a full hour of instructions on how we must behave at the polls watching voters line up, sign in, and finally vote.

“You are not to speak to or touch anyone while you are observing the voters in line,” said Donna Williams, a long time volunteer Democratic poll worker and community organizer. This job was explained to me as one in which both Republican and Democrat parties engage, by sending volunteers to the polls to observe the voting process, in a passive manner that levels the playing field and makes everyone feel comfortable that democracy is being served justly.

“If you need to communicate a problem, such as someone that may be acting in a disruptive fashion, you make eye contact with the poll manager and nod in the direction of the potential agitator, and let the poll worker handle the issue,” Donna continued as I diligently wrote down everything she said.

Not talking or engaging with people at the Sea Pines Center would be maybe a problem, I knew – having my family live here since 1977 - but not too big a problem. I figured neighbors would understand if I was restrained in my deportment on at such an auspicious occasion as Election Day.

So, totally prepared for four hours of not talking, and meditative calm after waiting in line three hours at Christ Lutheran to vote in my own precinct, I walked into the center where there the wait to vote was about an hour.

“There she is! There’s Carmen!” shouted Margie Mimms above all the low buzz of conversations, and quiet shuffling of people moving forward in line in the community room of the center where the voting booths were set up.

“I told them you had trouble parking,” she said to everyone within hearing range down to Truffles Café. Which wasn’t far from the truth. I did have trouble parking at Christ Lutheran Church three and a half hours before, and had just left the polls there, to slap-dash-it through the Sea Pines Gate, slowing for the flashing sign that tells me I’m over the speed limit by, you-know, a few clicks, then revving back up to swing into the center, where by chance a parking space opened right up in front of the poll station. Ha-ha!

Since Margie seemed to be okay talking at a higher-than-low whisper, and nobody bothered her about it, I said back, “Hi Margie! How’s it going?”

To which she responded with a play-by-play account of all the people and funny things that had happened all day long since 6 a.m. when she arrived. Then she told me to help myself to the cookies, donuts, and coffee in the back, because there was a lot left, and the banana bread was homemade.

As I removed my bag and sat down, the poll workers introduced themselves and welcomed me. I asked them, if indeed I could get a donut and homemade banana bread, and they said, of course. Then they said how much they enjoyed having Margie, and would miss her after she left for the day. This of course, meant to me, that I must continue the personality blitz for the rest of my poll-watching shift, so that our fellow voters and Sea Pines constituents would not grumble at having to wait an hour to cast their ballots. We handed out ‘I voted’ stickers with a big, “Thank you for voting,” with as much enthusiasm as if they’d just tipped us twenty-five percent on their early-bird special deal-meal.

By 7:30 pm, I was exhausted, from smiling, talking, laughing, kissing babies, hugging old friends, making promises to call people I hadn’t seen in a while. You can see how politicians get used to this gig.

All this is to say, that after a most contentious race, it was my pleasure to note that at two different polling places where record numbers of voters turned out, people were friendly and glad to be together, sharing the American Dream.

All I can say is, thank you America for a great show of democracy. See you next time.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 1:49 PM with the headline "First-time poll watcher finds voters - and democracy - surprisingly friendly."