Reply #46: another scrutineer here ...

[Lisa]

My first time as an NDP poll captain, so I was worried about what to do with the certification forms -- did anyone else get them for multiple polls? Our E-day coordinator suggested I do this, just to to be able to get the final statement.

The polls opened at 7 here on the West Coast, so it was a long day for me (though I was back at the HQ by 10 PDT, even with the recounts).

Six polls in our station (in the Saanich/Gulf Islands riding). The counts were done within an hour, and only 2 had problems: 2 spoiled ballots in one case that everyone looked at and signed off on; and what appeared to be an extra ballot (when I left, the returning officers were counting the stubs -- a booklet might have been miscollated). In neither case was the outcome of the vote affected.

I phoned in the count to the zone house because the HQ line was busy. Then I picked up the signed forms and caught a ride down to the "moral victory" party (where we cheered on the results from the ridings where the NDP actually did win).

Our candidate did much better than expected, even with the Greens pouring something like $80k into the riding. Best of all, we now know a LOT more about which polls are supporting us (our last complete data set was from the election before last). We are now in good shape for the provincial election or the next federal one, whichever comes first!

It would be nice if one of the BC recounts turned in our favour (taking a riding out of the neo-Con column).


The Liberal poll captain (a very nice woman who just moved out from Ontario) had no lunch, and was sitting there watching us eat. She told us, "my office promised they'd send food but they haven't". I said, "There is irony ... but I won't go there" (federal election law prohibits saying things about the parties in the polling place -- it was a lull and there were no voters anyway). Anyway, the poll clerks, DROs, and the Liberals themselves started laughing. The Conservatives (a high-school kid, and an elderly man who was probably an old-style Tory) offered to share their sandwiches, and I had a package of cookies, and one of the poll clerks had spare fruit drinks. So there was plenty for everybody. When the Liberals' runner arrived later in the afternoon with their sandwiches, they announced (deadpan) "It's all baloney!". More laughter.

I was impressed by the efficiency of the election staff, and the common decency of the reps from the other parties at our polling station. Maybe this is one of the reasons why the powers-that-be arranged our voting system this way. It gives a lot of people a chance to take part and learn how to run an election -- plus they get to see the human side of the other participants. We'd lose that if we went to online voting.