A day in the life of an American Voter...election protecting

3:30am - Blaring alarm startling me into a rude awakening merely hours after falling asleep (no seriously, just about 2 hours lapse) and after scowling with eyes shut tight, I call back into happy oblivion.

3:40am - The scowl only deepens as I smash my fist onto the alarm not caring if I've maimed or injured it beyond repair.  Pulling the comforter up to my nose, I sink into the depths of my bed and decide that election day is like any other day of the year and I could care less.

3:50am - I wonder fleetingly what the alarm clock has against me, finally cracking an eye open to glare at the red digital numbers.  I think 'crap' and lay there in bed unmoving, knowing that I should be doing the exact opposite.  I am staring at the back of my eyelids fighting the urge to give into the ridiculous need to fall back asleep.  I let out a low groan and finally peel myself out of bed, throwing a nasty look at P who was snoring peacefully.

 

3:55am - Stand staring at the shower thinking 'there is no way I'm getting into there today, stink be damned'.

 

4:00am - Peering out the window staring into the blackness of the night seeing nothing at all, I waited for the shower water to run hot and was still thinking, 'would anyone notice if I didn't apply water to my skin that morning?' 

 

4:20am - Out of the shower shivering and unhappy about the ordeal but at least smelling fresh.  Also almost fell on my butt when stepping into a small dollop of liquid body soap that must have completely missed my...err...body.  Okay.  No injuries sustained. 

 

4:30am - Partially dressed while calling C to ask her if she had left her home, which is wayyyyyy in Anne Arundel County.  She informs me that she's 'almost' out the door.  Um...almost?  This woman has no concept of 'almost' and mostly it means she's still in her towel and lotioning up.  I call her out on it while struggling into my socks and she swears that she's 'just about to leave girl!'.  Right, again, 'just about to...' anything is foreign for this chick.  I go 'mhmm' and disconnect after she informs me that she also has to stop to get gas.  *sigh*

 

4:32am - Zip out to the car to get it warmed up and again scowl at the darkness.

 

4:35am - Sitting on the sofa reading "50 Shades of Grey" thinking 'I can write better than this'...Hoping that my running car isn't an easy target for a thief who could possibly score big by snatching my Stella (yes, I have named my car and don't you judge me for it...like me, she too got her groove back when I bought her...or so I tell myself).

 

4:45am - Finally in car blissfully warm thanks to forethought to start Stella ahead of time. With a glum sigh I pull into the empty street and head to Dunkin's because there was no way I could even contemplate taking one more step without adequate amounts of caffeine in my system. 

 

5:00am:  After a stupidly long wait for my large coffee and chocolate glazed donut, I finally am back in the car and head off to Reston VA to the Election Protection Northern Virginia Command Center...and so begins the fun...

 

5:50am - 12:30pm:  Work work work, answer q's answer q's answer q's, follow-up follow-up follow-up, *pant pant pant*

 

12:30pm:  Wolf down food at alarming speeds and work.

 

...2:00pm:  more calls, more resolving complains, fighting exhaustion and an ear ache, eyeing CNN simultaneously trying to figure out what's going on around the country and chugging any caffeinated drink I can find.

 

If you want to know about what I'm doing, go here --->  www.electionprotection.com

 

There are 9 of us at the command center and after the last 2 elections (including the last big presidential election) where I was out in the cold and rain monitoring diligently, I deserve to be inside, warm and dry.  That being said though, if I had to be outside I would suck it up and do so with a smile and plenty of enthusiasm.   Anyhow, I was asked to come to my x-employers Reston office and I admit that it's a real nice spot (new too).  We are all sitting in a large conference room tables shoved together in a large "U" shaped formation with laptops all ready to go.  I was told 'bring a book just in case'.  Well let me tell you, I haven't even looked, glance, nor thought of that book (till now and that too because I'm writing about it).

 

Since walking in the door, we've been scrambling to answer calls as promptly as possible and respond to logged in requests for assistance.  We've had numerous issues with provisional ballots, people being turned away because they were not registered at the polling spot they thought they could vote at and plenty of military people who were unable to cast a provisional ballot even.  It's been a busy, busy morning and I can say I've barely had time to breath.  My girl C plonked down next to me and is talkin' my ear off, squishing into me whenever she can and complaining about how 'honggryyyyy' she is but thank god she's here...she's my partner in crime.  We're both fairly diligent in pouncing on issues popping up on to the screen so that we can resolve and move on.

 

Me and all our counterparts here have been constantly on the phone answering questions, reassuring distraught voters and soothing jangled nerves.   We are calling registrars offices, cheif polling officials and each other trying to resolve issues as fast as they're cropping up.  We're receiving information from the field regarding 1.5 - 3 hour minimum lines in all the counties here in NVa and it makes me so extremely proud of my American brethern. 

 

Young are helping old, able assisting disabled, people (where sometimes dissolving into impatience) for the most part are waiting with un-common patience to tend to their civic duty.  Sitting here answering questions, monitoring and trying to update my blog in-between as quick as possible, I can tell you that watching our democracy at work is truly a beautiful thing. 

 

Don't misunderstand me, I am not naive enough to think that this is a flawless system or that there are not folks out there even as I type this blog who are not forced to face unsavory very un-democratic incidents while simply trying to cast their vote and that this is happening not just here in Va but all over the country.  Yet, regardless of the examples here and there, it doesn't equal countries where people are physically threatened or simply barred from going to the polls, where if they voice their displeasure to their government it's almost looked upon as treason and punishable by death. 

 

No we don't live in that country, we live in one where yes you can in fact loath your present president and wish to god that the last few years hadn't happened (while sneering and spitting) or even love your president and dispise the man who is trying to wrangle the office away from him.  You can sit and shout from your rooftop how much you abhore the system, the politicians and the policies and not worry about being thrown into jail for these views. 

 

Right now as I'm closing in on on 4pm, exhausted, slightly blurry-eyed with my back aching so bad that I don't think I'll ever stand straight again, I look forward to yet still a rather long day.  I leave here armed with my phone in hand prepared to answer any questions that may be directed to me via cell while driving an hour back home to stand in a possible 2  hour line to vote and then go home to watch CNN till the results finally come in. 

 

 I'm contemplating injecting RedBull directly into my veins at this point =0/