November 2, 7 PM, the polling place. I am the key judge. (I got the call on Saturday at 5. “I’ve never done this before,” I say. “There’s nothing to it,” says the woman from Board of the Elections. “You just unlock the door.”) I have to go downtown to get the key. They are shocked I have biked the whole way. They tell me checking the supplies cabinet the night before is optional. Oh no it isn’t, I think. I have read the handbook: we have to assemble and launch the epollbooks by 5:15 AM. I don’t even know what an epollbook is. They tell me I don’t have to bring the key back myself. I strongly suspect this is a lie.
November 3. Up at 4 AM. 5 AM to polls. Our EC shows up ten minutes later. We are hectically assembling booths. A has voted here before—she used to live in the building, so we’re putting things where she remembers.
The audio ballot for a blind voter malfunctions repeatedly. Eventually one of us reads the ballot page by page—93 (??) pages on the touchscreen, with one hour to vote. She goes to insert her ballot in the box. First fumbling, then success. “You asking a lot of a blind woman—I need a drink!!” It’s about 7 AM.
Another judge (masked!): We’re here til 7!
Later, he dances back to me.
Voter: Born in 1932, what do you think of that?
