One of the major reasons I serve as an election official so often here in Arlington Virginia is that it gives me a special additional window into reality. In one day. I hear so MANY people from different walks of life give deep insights into their lives and feelings, much more than what you get from narrow studies or polls. ALSO... I am strongly called by law NOT to speak much about anything but the rules, but to explain the choices available to the voters, whom we empower to express THEIR views and preferences.
Given the incredible bipolar tensions in the US right now, and given the huge turnout expected,
we were given special videos on how to avoid confrontation, and how to deal with signs of it.
But in fact, this was the smoothest election of all the ten or so my wife and I have officiated at.
Credit goes to a new management company at the eldercare facility (Cuilpepper) which hosts our precinct. In the past, the big monitor people would see as they exited the elevator
would display commercials for local businesses, telling them just to leave the building. People got upset and angry as they did not know where to go in the Building, and anger created all kinds of bad things.
I often got to sit at the desk under that monitor, to orient people to vote.
In the most recent general election, I got a chance to ask people WHAT ISSUE was most important to them. In previous years, it had been the kind of issues you might expect -- inflation, immigration,
government programs. But then, as people got angry... the building technicians came and tried to fix the inputs to the monitor. But they couldn't. That year, both the voters and the professionals all agreed that
ONE issue swamped all the others for them: HOW UNFRIENDLY the new internet was already becoming for them in their lives. And they couldn't fix that monitor.
This year, a new company got the local internet working. The country set up that desk as an information desk, and helped train me how to explain new voting rules and options that baffled people in the previous election.
One of the building people, Ray Reyes, came by the desk, checked several times, and explained things in Spanish to voters who could understand that better than my English. A new manager, PaulTimpane, had prepared the building with
in-building signs which prevented confusion, and led to great calm and pleasant discussions
I saw just one VERY depressed looking face: the pollwatcher from the Democratic party. I can only guess what might have depressed her yesterday. But I did tell several people
about how happy and relieved I was that on this very special and important day it went so smooth, compared with the previous one I just mentioned. One voter gave credit to Youngkin. But I gave credit to the building people...
to their face, and to our county team.
There were many very political people from both parties present, of course.
I heard one saying; "Actually... based on this experience... we really wish we had persuaded Kamala to push more user friendly internet as one of the top issues, maybe the top issue."
ANYONE could ask me anything at the information desk I ran for many hours. (I had expected to spend more time on more volatile and stresssful, challenges posts, which I DID get some experience with, butlater in the day the Chief said:
"People UNDERSTAND your explanations, and they have reduced spoiled ballots, which other people really appreciate a lot. So..."
Only one voter probed me personally enough to learn I know something about these computer issues (other than how badly the scanner/computer behaves if they spoil their ballot). He turned out to be a guy who
built a bank, which depends more and more on the internet, and wonders about its future. He sounded like a major influencer (and job creator) in the economic hub of Virginia.
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Older as I am getting... (lots of voters talked about aging!! Or about the pains of having too move too often...)... I feel a duty here and now to reveal a few minor personal things.
The front of the two page ballot was about President, Senate, House and School Board. the back was about country spending and county board. I could tell them the RULES exactly for the back side,
which caused most spoiled ballots (we think , but need to check). YES, people have a kind of moral duty. The people in the county who are directly affected have a special role... in checking how those choices affect THEIR lives, and affect whether THEIR money is not
spent on corrupt schemes as are common when key decisions are made in the dark. BUT I confessed -- we all have different duties and capabilities. **I** spent so much time on thinking about the front side of the ballot that I did not feel qualified
even to vote, myself on the back side. The county provided two sheets with additional information on the bond measures and on the county council, but I could tell no more -- EXCEPT that they could use their cell phones to check the web BEFORE they entered the voting area proper. (I heard different stories about who can do what to use the internet, quietly, when in the voting area.)
Before yesterday, I solicited YOUR thoughts about my own personal vote. I thank you all for your feedback, which was very diverse and helpful, even though I feel heavy variances even today.
Initially, I planned NOT to vote at all, and NOT even to think hard on partisan lines in my morning meditation, in personal conversations or even in emotional reactions as I watch France24.
I have personal responsibilities now, as I did when I worked at NSF, which should not be entangled in an inappropriate way with other decisions.
ONE of you convinced me that I should stay silent, generally, BUT SHOULD vote for Trump privately and in my mind, BECAUSE (1) I saw more certainly about the existential problems coming from Harris, for whom I
have had very special information more direct than what many of you are stuck with; (2) there is HOPE of a miracle of sorts; (3) Vance and Musk MIGHT reduce the worst problems, and open the door to the incredible technology
advances we need to survive. (Oh, oops: I also noted that RFK junior over FDA might overturn a rigid rule which happens to threat my own life, as well as Biden's and Trump's!)
Yesterday morning, however... I finally did vote. For President, I voted Libertarian, to make it clear I see major problems with Harris and Trump both, and appreciate the RISKS which go with simply saying "YES" to either of them.
I did not vote Green, which sounds natural, because they have chosen to back the current Iranian position in the Middle East, which is also quite existential.
But now... meeting in 20 minutes.
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