A day helping others to vote

By Lori Berglund — Daily Freeman-Journal Editor
I was in my early 20s. The ladies I would spend most of a day with every June and November were, shall we say, a wee bit older. They were grandmothers, most all of them farm wives who had spent most of their own lives working from home.

They would talk about their gardens, which were better than anything I've ever grown. And they'd talk about their husbands, their children, the weather, and the last person to come in the door.

I never failed to catch up on all the news — and I do mean all the news — from around Independence Township and Kamrar, Iowa, on those long days twice a year, every two years.

I remember those days quite fondly, mostly because of the company I kept for this little, but rather important job. It was Lana Hinderks who had recruited me for the job of precinct official. She needed the help and I needed the money. Looking back, I have to say that it would have been worth it just to do it for the fun of it.

Really, it was fun for me.

Precinct officials are designees of the county auditor and commissioner of elections. It's their job to make sure that only people legally registered to vote get to cast a ballot. That's why it's always been helpful to hire neighborhood people such as myself and that crew of Kamrar-area grandmothers — we knew everybody. No need for a photo ID in Kamrar, if they don't know you by sight, you just don't belong there.

More likely, the precinct officials in most rural precincts are likely to not just know you by sight, but to know your parents, your grandparents, the name of your dog, how many acres you farm, what church you go to and just how often you show up at that church every Sunday morning!

Now that's voter security!

But we didn't worry about voter security too much back in those days when I was a precinct official for Independence Township, which for years has voted in the Kamrar Lions Building. Like I said, we talked about men and the weather — two things that none of us, regardless of our ages, had ever been able to figure out. But we always had plenty of time on those days to try. Generally speaking, the polls opened at 7 a.m. and we needed to be there a little early to get set up. For primaries, it seemed like the day sometimes ended as early as 7 p.m., but for a general election we could count on being there until after 9 p.m.

Yes, it's a long day. And precinct officials must stay at the polling site throughout the day. We were lucky, the Kamrar Lions Building is a pretty nice facility, but at that time I know there were some townships that still voted in country schools that were served by only an old biffy. Don't worry, the biffy days are over and those heavy blue machines — which I loved!— have been replaced with much lighter models.

In Kamrar, I recall that the townsfolk treated us very kindly. Terry Koop griled some burgers and sent them across the street for our supper. Sometimes the other ladies, all wonderful farm cooks, would bring in treats to share. And sometimes their husbands even delivered an evening meal!

But what I remember most was the kindness of a Kamrar woman who took pity on us one boring primary day in June. With no contests on the ballot, voter turn-out was extremely light. We saw only about 16 voters in all 12 hours of voting! This woman, who stopped in earlier in the day to do her civic duty, remarked on what a beautiful day it was outside and how she intended to spend it picking strawberries.

Cooped up inside, after a spring as miserable as this one, we were all a little jealous. But she made our whole day when she showed up a few hours later with a freshly-baked cake, topped with fresh-picked strawberries. Stuff like that happens all the time in small, rural towns, which is why I like them so much.

I loved those days, chatting with these farm wives who had lived the kind of life I was still only dreaming of at that younger point in my life. And I loved seeing all the neighbors come in to vote and finding out a little bit about what was going on in their own lives.

I also liked the little check it netted me. As a college student and part-time Kmart employee, I needed every dollar I could get. The pay was only about $50 to $75 a day back then (a little bit more now), but that little bit of money was a lot of money to me and it helped.

Frankly, I would still take part in this civic responsibility if I could, but newspaper people tend to be rather busy themselves on election day. However, the demand for precinct officials is greater than ever.

Hamilton County Auditor Kim Schaa is always looking for people to serve in this capacity. While I wouldn't want to predict the outcome of the fall election, I would feel safe taking a bet to Vegas that turn-out is going to be huge, absolutely huge. In other words, those precinct workers are going to be busy come November. More immediately, the June primary is never as busy and there should be plenty of time that day for chatting and enjoying any strawberry shortcake that someone might be kind enough to bring in.

With or without the cake, it's difficult to find enough people to fill these jobs. Too often, it's left only to retirees and maybe a few college students who, like me, enjoy spending time with the grandmother-set. I think it would be great if employers released people to serve as precinct officials, the same way they are required to release people for jury duty. If you think about it, assisting people in their right to vote is even more important than jury duty.

So think about volunteering to be a precinct official this year. Call Kim Schaa at the auditor's office, 832-9510, and find out more about the job. Recommend it to your favorite college student as both a learning and income-producing opportunity, for I know it's an experience I am very glad to have had in my life.

And don't wait until fall, volunteers are needed now for the June primary.

If you want to do something for your country, this is a great place to start. It's a one-day job, you get to see all your neighbors, and you even get paid for the day!

This year, don't just exercise your right to vote, help maintain that right for the folks next door.