I WAS A POLLWORKER--
OR HOW I LEARNED TO SURVIVE TUESDAY

Tuesday was my second stint as a San Francisco County pollworker. It's really rather overwhelming and under-rated work. You have to work from 6AM until after the polls close at 8PM which means that some pollworkers are there until 10 or 11PM, depending. I luckily got out of there by 9:30PM. Still, it's a long day of constant activity. Officially we get breaks and a one-hour lunch period, but regardless it's still a very long day and by the end of it I was simply exhausted.

I'm a nerd and I loved doing this work, even though I was so tired. It was great helping people with their democratic rights, answering questions, making it as easy and smooth as possible for those voting, and doing what I can to help democracy work.

I even got to, upon request, help someone physically mark their ballot-- that was the highlight of my day. I got to be very official, do what they requested, and be trusted. I didn't even think about how they were voting; I was just thinking of the process and helping them fulfill their right.

Yeah, I know, I'm a geek. But taking the day off from work and working the polls was my little addition to the American democracy. And I loved every minute of it. And, honestly, I think it helped me get through the losses nationwide on election night, because I felt like I took part in the system as a whole and I know that the system isn't broken-- it just needs some assistance.