I supported Barack Obama for president in the 2008 election. As the election was approaching, Obama had a comfortable lead in the polls. I wanted to be a part of this historical event so I decided to be a poll worker. I volunteered and went through the training program. I was assigned to a mostly African American polling station in an Atlanta housing project.
I ended up working the registration computers because I had the best computer skills even though I was the least experienced poll worker. There were some computer problems and the line was out the door all day long. Hundreds of people came to vote. Many were elderly and had not voted since the Kennedy election. Many people had registration issues. We tried everything we could to allow them to vote but often we could not. When we called city officials for help the response was always the same, "do not let them vote." It was not voter suppression but more a case of not wanting to take any chances in risking the integrity of the election. The voters took it in stride. They knew Barack Obama was going to win and they were excited about it. It felt like a big party all day long.
One major concern I did have was with the computer voting machines. The voting computers printed out a tally of the vote at the end of the day that we collected and passed on, along with the memory cards. There was no way the poll workers could verify that the printout was accurate. There really is no system of checks on the voting machines and it would be simple to rig them. With so much at stake, this is ludicrous, and we should not stand for it. Even if it takes going back to paper ballots, I would prefer that to using a system so susceptible to fraud.
Like most people, I am particularly disappointed in this year's presidential election. There is enormous rage against both parties. People are fed up and desperate. I think the support for Trump is a protest vote more than anything. People know he is a buffoon. What people are saying is that, given a choice between a clown and the status-quo, a clown is better. I hear you.
