Court: OK to block press from polling sites

[greiner3]

5. I've been a poll worker for the last several years.

The polling place has been in the cafeteria/gym of an elementary school.

In 2011 we had half the space, maybe 1,000 ft/sq and the children ate in the other half. This was not as bad as it sounds as the children were great without exception.

2012 comes along and this school closed on Election Day giving us about 2,000 ft/sq.

As you know, 2012's election was a high turnout year and we were certainly not an exception to this.

We actually had 70% turnout and were busy from morning (there were 50 people in line when we opened at 6:30) until an hour before we closed at 7:00.

I am an observer by nature and it was 2 in the afternoon before there was absolutely not one voter in line.

There was NO room for the press to come into the polling location either year.

In 2012 we had 3 registered observers, 2 being Republican.

There was also an unregistered observer, although she mostly remained outside.

A bit about her; she and I did a lot of talking. It seems she is a Federal Civil Rights attorney based out of Chicago and volunteered, along with many other attorneys, just to come to OH.

She went to law school at the Univ. of Chicago back in the 70s.

One of her professors was...

Wait for it;

wait for it;

President Obama.

It was he who convinced her to go into the Civil Rights branch.

She told me several 'stories' about our president and that was a day/person who I will not forget.

But anyway, In OH the distance a person doing any electioneering can be is 100 feet.

I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it would have been to do my job, much less the voters vote in a timely manner, if there was any large amount of press there.

From what I understand, the press CAN enter a polling place but there are many restrictions they must observe; they cannot interfere with any voter, cannot speak with a voter, unless outside the 100 foot range, and others.

I am not talking of an interviewer but of a cameraman and all that would entail.

The middle school behind the elementary school was also a polling place.

Their area was the entire gym, twice our size, maybe 4,000 ft/sq.

Maybe a cameraman and one interviewer could have attended without too much fuss.

But what if these polling places were designated by the pundits (go Nate!) as the ones that could decide an election.

Then wouldn't several camera crews, local and national, make the trip.

Now that would be a circus.

I think a single reporter does have the right to do his/her job from inside the polling place, without cameras, as long as this does not interfere with the voter and/or poll worker.