The Election...

So, yesterday I worked as a City Employee Pollworker at an obscure precinct for an ignored election in Burbank. It was an experience, to be sure. I am at once awed by American democracy and deeply concerned in its long term viability.

We had about 600 registered voters for our little area, 12 of whom showed up at the polls. I am not sure how many people voted absentee, as the paperwork that would have showed that never arrived. From conversations with my fellow pollworkers, it seemed that this vital piece of paperwork often shows up days after the election itself.

It was dull, friends, dull. I did get a fairly lengthy discussion about Burbank politics going with my fellow workers, but spending 15 hours in a flooring showroom off Hollywood Way is about as much fun as it sounds.

Was this because no one knew about this election?

I received no campaign materials for the one race in our area, the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees. In fact, I had to spend a fair amount of time researching who the hell these people were, what they stood for, and what, exactly, the LACC board does.

Perhaps. It still made me sad that people don't seem to care about this race. And, from looking at the results, it was an EXTREMELY close race. Maybe people just chose randomly. Check out the results here. 2:30 a.m. bulletin (LA City Clerk).