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Reporter's Election Follies

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By Krista Klaus

News Channel 8

Published: November 4, 2008

2:49 p.m.: I've been covering the 2008 election for 15 months now. I waited until Election Day in a bipartisan spirit, thinking that being a late decider would help keep my reporting unbiased.

And so I rolled into Westchase's 500 Precinct wearing sweats and a ballcap, ready to make my vote count just before noon today. It wasn't long before I hit a snag. Although I called the elections office to report my address had changed and was assured the rolls would be updated, I was disappointed to see I wasn't on the precinct list. A smiling poll worker told me I just needed to fill out a change-of-address form, and I'd be all set.

When I reached the change-of-address line, it was obvious the poll workers were overwhelmed. A lovely volunteer named Constance logged on to the elections supervisor's database and informed me my address had not been changed in the system, so the precinct would need to phone the county office to confirm.

Imagine my surprise as the precinct worker informed me his cell phone was dead, and there were no landlines set up at the precinct. I offered him the use of my cell phone. He called the elections office and waited for seven minutes without speaking to a live person. At this point the poll worker was getting frustrated, as the line of voters with changes in address was getting longer. He asked where the county polling supervisor was. "He just left. I don't know where he is," bemoaned another frustrated volunteer.

As the poll workers tried in vain to contact election officials by cell phone, Constance continued to complain that she continues to lose Internet contact with the elections office computer system. Finally Constance walks up to me with a provisional ballot. "Just fill out one of these, dear. It's obvious you are a special circumstance," she said. I explained to Constance that I don't want to cast a provisional ballot and that I came here to vote. Reluctantly, because I'm due at work in an hour, I began to fill out the provisional ballot.

Just as I'm about to sign my name, the county election worker that had suddenly gone missing magically reappeared, with … another cell phone!

"Here, use this one," he said. And within moments, the poll worker gets through to the elections office and verifies my address. He rips off a perforated ballot and hands it to me, all the while checking another voter's change of address. I walk over to begin voting. As I'm halfway through the ballot, the frustrated poll worker shouts out, "Hey, you need to sign for the ballot." I run back to the table, sign my name, and return to my ballot.

As I approached the optical scan machine to register my vote, another poll worker worker asked, "Where's your privacy folder?" "I never got one," I said. "Oh," he said, and shakes his head. I do the same as I walk out the door.

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