Election 2006: Adventures at the Polls, Episode 1

Not much time this morning, so just some quick highlights.

Voted in NC of course, but I'm back up in VA for the week, so worked for the Dems up here, taking up my traditional position last night outside one of our local polling places, handing out literature. Stood in the fog and cold drizzle for three hours, but got to feel virtuous, so didn't mind too much.

About an hour into my shift, the precinct chair stopped by. "Everything o.k. here?" he asked casually. "Yep," I replied, "plenty of sample ballots left." Then I noticed that he was looking around more intently than one might expect. "What's up?" I asked.

"Well," he says, we may have had a little trouble."

Intrigued, I asked him what he meant.

"Well, there's a report from one polling place across town of some 'Republican thugs' harassing Democrats."

WTF??? I thought.

"Hey, the reporter from the DNR is right here," I said (I'd been talking to her and one of the Republicans for an hour), "you should report this to them! It's an outrage!"

"No, no," he said. "The police have been called, and the DNR is not exactly friendly to us, so let's just wait and see what the police say."

Incidentally, he's probably right about the DNR (the local paper).

No word about it in the DNR this morning. Needless to say, I hope it was a bogus report, but I have to admit that I was kind of hoping these alleged "Republican thugs" would make a swing by my polling place. And not just because I've got about six years worth of political frustration built up against the thuggish branch of the GOP... I have to admit I'd be fairly eager to mix it up with anybody harrassing anybody at the polls, regardless of their party affiliation.

But no such luck. Ah, well.