November 1st ---oh my!

Today at noon begins my first time ever of being a Coordinator for 8 precincts on election day.  (I normally work the "help table" in our precinct and serve as an Assistant Judge (a fancy name for having to reconcile the ballots voted and unused and sign my name to every sealed envelope and document the precinct submits). Above is all the "stuff" I had to pick up Saturday.  Not pictured are four yard signs I have to put up today as well as another duffle bag of supplies I'll need tomorrow and things I need to review today.  I'm a little nervous, but also a little excited!  There are election days when I think it's time to quit and not do this anymore, but I firmly believe in our election process.  I'm thankful for all the safeguards the Wake County Board of Elections and all the checks and balances they have in place to ensure a just election, but I also understand that without trustworthy or dependable people to work for them their hands are tied.  I've been privileged to meet and work beside people who truly believe in our founding principles, whether I agree with their policies or not, and I understand how it would only take five unscrupulous people to mess an election up for a precinct.
And on a more personal level, the first time I went to vote I was turned away. I don't know if the vice-principal at the high school lost our registration forms or what, but all six of us who registered to vote at the school were told we were not registered on election day.  The lady was quite rude.  I was almost in tears. So Dad took me to the county courthouse to register.  I received my voter registration card in the mail, but when I went to vote in the next election, they again claimed I was not registered. I produced my card and id, told them I had registered at the courthouse, that this was the second time I had been turned away, and this time I got action. One of the ladies got a little upset, though thankfully not at me. She wrote my name in the book and allowed me to vote.  That fall, excited to vote in my first presidential election, I filled out the form for an absentee ballot, they sent more paperwork to me at college, and it arrived TWO days AFTER the submission deadline.  The next three years I was overseas, and the only way it was possible to vote was to take a 24 hour train-ride to the Beijing embassy, and then back.  My fellow teachers and I decided it wasn't worth the funds and hassle of arranging our class schedules.
I guess this job is my personal vendetta of making sure no one else (if I can help it) is denied their right to vote. I think that's part of why I enjoy working the help table so much. I like working through the puzzles to find the answer of voting status, and helping to fix it where I can.
We have a right many people died and suffered for, especially us females. We do ourselves, as well as our descendants, a disservice if we don't take advantage of the opportunity offered and do our part.  So if you haven't voted already, tomorrow's your chance!