My Tale of Election Woe

“As I previously mentioned, I had the oppurtunity to work in the California Recall Election. Basically my job was to receive the ballot boxes and election supplies from 53 precincts in my town, pop. 65,000 approx.. I showed up at the county election warehouse with some 100 other people. News vans with satellite dishes were already in place behind the yellow tape. A few highway patrol cars with lights going were parked nearby. At 7:00pm a procedural meeting began. About half the people have been through this process before. The other half were clueless. I was one of clueless. The information given about our job duties were half ass explained. Roll call was made and we were told which depot to go to. Myself and 9 others were assigned to the local DMV in my town to pick up 53 ballot boxes. Can you say overkill? We were issued two cargo vans of which we jumped into. Eight folks were in my van. The other van had two. Enroute to the depot the other disappeared on a side street. We arrived to a deserted parking lot at the DMV. No lights anywhere. After twenty minutes the other van arrived. Apparently, the other driver went home to pick up chairs and a poker table and glow sticks. So we finally got everything ready. A gas station with restrooms was a good 5 minute walk away. Not enough time to go over there so a few people did there business just out of view adjacent to the vans in parking lot. Real nice. The process was to have the cars drive through the lot and stop at the table where we would have the driver pop his/her trunk and I would retrieve the metallic ballot box. Getting people to follow this route was a pain. We had a couple folks waving glow sticks trying direct folks into line. I guess I should note that 99% of the folks dropping off the ballot boxes were senior citizens. Many could not even open their trunks. It was sad but it gets worst.

Each ballot box is supposed to sealed with a metallic tie off. You probably have one on your gas meter to your house that gas company places on it to prohibit any tampering. Well, I will tell you that over half of all boxes were not sealed properly. Apparently seniors do not have the hand strength close the clasp so they just leave them hanging on. On two occasions, the ballots were removed from the ballot box by the polling folks and place in card board boxes. It was unbelievable how the integrity of the ballots was handled. Even the people I worked with I would of fired on the spot if they worked for me. One guy, 26 years old, doing this for 7 years was totally out of line. He let everyone know he was democrat and union member pipefitter. He yanked a number of ballot boxes out the cars ripping the foam seal around trunks and tossing the boxes on the ground. One box popped open! He even had the gall to ask people if they were dropping of republican votes and say he'd rip them up if he could. His girlfried was a class act also. Apparently she gave birth and was milk laden and asking others to feel how swollen she was. I kid you not!

Finally, one of the roving inspectors came by to do a casual check. The pipe-fitting jack ass said everything was fine. I finally pulled the inspector aside and told him what was going on. He took notes and told us to just fasten all clasps on the ballot boxes. At least he called in to headquarters about the stray ballots. We were told to leave them in a card board box and deliver them to the warehouse where the election officials would "decide" what to do with them.

So we received all but one ballot box. We waited 1.5 hours for it to show. When it did, the guy said he stopped at Denny's restaraunt for dinner before delivering them. He left the ballot in the back seat of his car while having dinner! It was a cluster ____! Additionally, each ballot box is supposed to be driven and dropped by two or more people in the car. This is so no one person would be alone with a box at any given moment. Well, guess what? Quite a few single drivers showed up! Un-F'ing-believable!

So we finish collection at about 11:00pm. The vans are loaded and we head off. Me, union boy, and lactating momma in one van and everyone else in the other. As we leave the parking lot the other van tells us they stopping at the drivers house to drop off the table and chairs. We never did see them again. So as I was driving and about a 1/2 mile from the ballot destination union-boy and girlfriend want to stop a dive a grab a couple of kamikazzees! Thank god I was driving and said hell no! We were the last to arrive, besides the other van, and pulled up to be off loaded. Now here is something I found strange but good. The California Highway Patrol officers were doing the off loading. I guess they finally realized how bad the hired help was. People (workers) were standing around smoking cigs on the sidewalk on the clock. Ah, government help.

Well, all ballots from my county are being stored in the warehouse and loaded onto freight trucks and driven up to Oregon for counting. Not a single vote from my county has been counted as I write this but, yet, www.drudgereport. has a link showing how each California county voted on this recall. How can my county have a 57% no vote on the recall already when the ballots are sitting in the warehouse?

I finally had the chance to talk to my sis (deputy elections clerk). This is her first election since obtaining the job and was horrified as told her about my experience. Any way, I'm on top of the list for one of the coveted election inspectors for the next election. I promise, I along with my sister will clean up how election integrity is handled in this state or at least this county. I seriously believe some people broke the law on this one. It is/was uncomprehensible how this is handled. I had always believed that once my ballot entered that little box it was safe. This is so far from the truth. California is no better than Florida. You folks might want to take a look at your state also. It is so sad now that I have seen it with my own eyes.”

“The guy who "claimed" he stopped at a restaurant for dinner before dropping off the ballots was probably actually re-doing the ballots the way he wanted the vote totals to go.”

“The Republicans stole the election!!!

Call the local Democratic judge.”

“Pretty surreal. Thanks for trying to help clean it up.”

“Good Gawd! What an abysmal experience! I would have grabbed that union dude by the back of the next and thrown his a$$ outta there. Hopefully, you could be an inspector for the next recall, and elimintae some of this BS.

It sounds like Tammany Hall out there!”

“Voting in Boston, it was a rare
occasion where I didn't see some
one voting illegally.Using a false
name,address etc. They were told by the cop to leave the premises.
That's all. I used to hate the picketeers getting in your face to
vote for so and so.Once ,a friend put the arm on me to hold a sign on election day.Since I did I no
longer give them the mad face when
I walk the last 20 feet of campaign hawkers to the voting place.”

“Pretty eye-opening experience, huh? Thanks for writing it up.”

“In Filthydelphia, the dead people all vote Democratic despite the fact the Republicans routinely canvas the cemeteries. It's vexing. Apparently Republicans don't die here.”

“Yikes... what a scary trip report.

I've been a little paranoid about computer voting, but it sounds like if its done right it couldn't be worse than what you described.

Thank Goodness for exit polling, at least it helps keep the vote handlers honest.”

“Jesus, and I thought New Mexico was loopy.”

“this is why I don't vote.

(j/k)”

“So, one thing, Rockster...



HOW SWOLLEN WAS SHE?!?!”

“Wow, that was an eye opener for sure. How long did it take you to clean up from Elsie and her projectile protuberances?”

“I have to admit... Not needing to take a creamer when I get coffee at the 7/11 would be a convienience...”

“Get this... I've since discovered that the quite a few of folks doing what I did were sent over from the county welfare and parole offices. Putting folks in a postition such as this but yet they can't even manage themselves baffles me. I'm losing even more respect my local gubbermnet.”

“Thanks for telling us. We need to know.”

“McHugh are you stirring up #&%!$ again...I swear you need a handler to follow you around and keep your ass out of trouble :)”

“Frickin' scarey Rockman! I bet this is a common thing though. It's very refreshing to see someone taking a interest in and helping with this type of thing.

Good on ya boy!”

“Even scarier is all the things we don't hear about.”

“Every time I go to the poles there's those nice old ladies. I never figured it degenerated from there on too. Thanks for your interest and posting such a great tale of woe. Did you write it up for an editorial too. Don't blame you if you didn't because of the b.s. replies it would stir up. Thanks Rockman.”