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The polling place I judged at was in a retirement community - a very nice facility with lots of elders roaming the halls. The main entrance opens into a great room & that is where we set up. There is a back entrance, but you have to weave your way thorough the residential area to get to the front.
So a very well dressed woman enters the great room from the rear entrance & immediately in a very loud, belligerent voice, states, "I want to speak to an election judge right now!" Our lead judge, a very nice elderly man who has been doing this for a few years, asked how he could help her.
She proceeded to loudly proclaim that some man was wearing an Obama button & "I know you are not allowed to wear anything political within 100 feet of the polling place!" Our judge asked where this man was & she pointed behind her & said "Back there somewhere." Our judge explained to her that yes, it was against the law to wear political gear in the polling place, but that for the purpose of this facility, the polling place was considered the great room & everything in front, and that everything behind was considered the living quarters of the tenants.
"So you're not going to do anything about it?" she shouted. Our judge said that no, he wasn't. He said that if the man came into the polling place, he would be asked to remove his button, but that he wasn't going to accost a resident or visitor & tell them they couldn't wear their button.
By now she was bright red & full of indignation. "I'm calling the Election office & reporting you!" she yelled. Our judge very nicely said "Be sure to tell them that my name is _______ & this happened in precinct x." The woman stormed out in a huff. There was a collective sigh of relief at her exit & lots of eye rolling.
Two poll watchers were sitting next to me, one repub, one dem. The repub let out a heavy sigh & said to me, "Those types of republicans have given all of us a bad name. I sure hope we can rebuild our party without those types or at the very least, let them know that their meanness won't be tolerated anymore. I think President Obama will go a long way to mending the division in our country." I damn near cheered at that comment!
BTW, our lead judge, the man who handled the complaint so well, told the rest of us judges that he has been a republican all his life. He said that '04 was the first time he voted democratic & he proudly voted democratic again this year. "I don't even recognize my party anymore," he said, sadly.
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"President Obama will go a long way to mending the division in our country."
I sure hope so!!
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