Elections: When Morons Make Big Decisions
I have worked as a polling officer. My favourite moment:
A family trucked in their elderly relative to vote for a candidate. She spoke no English, she seemed largely unaware of her surroundings. But, she had valid ID and was in the registry. They muttered to her. Non-handicapped people cannot be accompanied by others to the actual poll booth, so she went by herself.
I waited. The poll booth shield jumped forward a tiny amount. Meh. She returned, muttered to her family, then folded up the ballot and popped it into the box. Done? No.
She muttered some more to her family. They went to the poll booth and came back and to alert me to something. She marked her X-- she had marked it on the example printed on the wall of the poll booth. Then, she submitted the blank ballot.
With ballot already cast, there wasn't anything I could do. Darwin had voted.
A family trucked in their elderly relative to vote for a candidate. She spoke no English, she seemed largely unaware of her surroundings. But, she had valid ID and was in the registry. They muttered to her. Non-handicapped people cannot be accompanied by others to the actual poll booth, so she went by herself.
I waited. The poll booth shield jumped forward a tiny amount. Meh. She returned, muttered to her family, then folded up the ballot and popped it into the box. Done? No.
She muttered some more to her family. They went to the poll booth and came back and to alert me to something. She marked her X-- she had marked it on the example printed on the wall of the poll booth. Then, she submitted the blank ballot.
With ballot already cast, there wasn't anything I could do. Darwin had voted.
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