Election Day 2009

Next Tuesday, November 9th, I'll be working in a polling location near our home. I "cut my teeth" earlier this year on the primary election. We only had a 20% turn out, so it wasn't very busy. Since Missouri is considered a swing state, our county election board is predicting a 90 to 95% turnout of registered voters. That means I better eat my lunch and go to the bathroom before I get there because there isn't going to be any time to do either one once the polls open. For this election I am a "Republican Assistant Supervisor". My primary duty will be to set up the paper ballot counting machine and set up the touch screen devices. During the day I, along with the Democrat Assistant Supervisor, will set up the touch screen devices for each voter and assist paper ballot voters in recording their votes by properly inserting their ballots into the reader. It's a long day. We have to arrive at the polling place by 5 AM and have one hour to set up and open the polls at 6 AM. At 7 PM we'll station one of the workers at the end of the line and no one can get in line after 7 PM. When the last person in line has voted, we begin the tear down of the equipment and insure that the paper tape records that will be used to count votes are properly secured and everything is properly transported to our drop off location. If we're lucky, we should be home by 8:30 PM. I'll probably collapse in a chair in our family room, eat some supper and watch the early returns. During our time in the polling location, we must be completely neutral. We cannot say anything about any candidate or ballot measure. In fact, if someone needs help voting, both a Republican and Democrat worker must give assistance as a team. This is to insure that no one is influenced one way or the other.

I can tell you one thing I'll be doing all day, and it's the same thing I've been doing for weeks. I will be praying for God's will and His intervention in this election. In 2000, George W. Bush was well behind Al Gore in the polls going into the election. Exit polling showed Gore winning by a large margin, and yet, when it was all said and done, "W" pulled it out. Again in 2004, John Kerry was the polls winner going into the election, but "W" won by a greater margin than in 2004. Many people are saying that this election is over, but I can't believe that God would allow our country to be exposed to the kind of moral changes that would further erode our values and standard of living. For weeks, every time I hear a political ad, or see a yard sign, or anything else that reminds me of this election, I breathe a prayer for God's will and His intervention. I believe that is exactly what happened in 2000 and 2004. On election day, at my polling location, I won't be saying anything political, but I'll be praying "up a storm" while I setup the touch screen machines for people to vote. Throughout the Old Testament, God setup leaders and He took them down, both for the Israelites as well as surrounding nations. The same God is still doing that today!