I’ve taken the first steps to become more involved in protecting our democracy. I will be a polling place supervisor during California’s June 3rd election. My day will begin at 5:00am and go until about 10:00pm. In all I’ll be paid about $170 for time, which includes the two-and-a-half hour training session I went through a few nights ago and the 2 hours or so required to pick up all of the voting equipment for the polling station (this Sunday.) It does not cover the snacks I’ll need to buy as I’ve been told it’s an unspoken rule that supervisors bring snacks for everybody else on the team.

It’s not a perfect system. Since the supervisor has to pick up and drop off all of the equipment for the polling place, anyone without free time, money for gas or without a big car is at a disadvantage.

We take so much for granted. We believe that if we register and show up on time, we’ll cast our vote and that vote will be counted. Now, with the requirement in some places for valid picture id or the use of electronic voting machines banned in some European countries, I believe the integrity of elections is more at risk than ever. What I learned in my training session was heartening though.

To address the Decline to State fiasco, which almost disenfranchised 50,000 voters, the elections board has really beefed up its poll worker training. I have to say, any poll worker who doesn’t know what to do with a Decline-to-State voter now, just didn’t get what the trainers put out – over and over again. I am really impressed at how colors and bold signage are being used to make the voting process more clear.

By 6am, the other poll workers and I will assemble the equipment and get it ready to go, lay out the necessary materials and tape up an American flag at the entrance. At 7am, I step outside and announce “The polls are now open.” At the end of the voting period, 8pm, I step outside and announce: “The polls are now closed.” Me and the team will tally each and every vote and make sure it syncs with the number of signatures recorded as people enter to vote. Then we’ll take each cast ballot and place it in a red box. We will seal that box and take it to the designated collection site.

For all the effort, it comes down to making sure a small red box gets delivered intact to the hands of official registrars. Important work. I can’t wait!

Vote!