My day started the night before. I ironed my clothes and set them aside so that I wouldn’t have needed to wake up an hour earlier just to find the perfect fit. I was told to wear ‘Sunday’s best,’ but in my head, I thought about potentially meeting my future employer, one of my friends or even the love of my life. So, I knew I had to balance the right amount of professionalism and drip.
Of course, I woke up after my alarm and missed breakfast and my chance at the perfect hairstyle. Before dawn, I was at my precinct and was able to set up with my team. It was awkward at first, but we had a great balance of personalities in the room. And that was the difference between a fun time and a long time.
Everyone has their own reason for why they vote, or why they don’t, why some decided to work as a precinct official and why others didn’t. For me, I’m on a journey to learn more about our local government. I wanted to understand how an election works, who is involved and to finally talk to someone outside of my house. It was only a plus that the University of Guam granted us a break that gave us Election Day off, and of course we earned some money that I plan to spend on gifts for my family.
After a few hours, my social battery was less than half, and I was counting off the minutes till lunch arrived.
I had no prior knowledge to reflect on the turnout of voters, but from what I learned, these were one of the slowest (from a precinct officials’ perspective) elections. And I can attest to that, because we rarely had a line. On a similar note, I noticed the absence of youth voters. I thought that we would have had some traction because of the increase in national youth interest in politics, but sadly, it wasn’t the case—something I’m dedicated to turning around.
After lunch, our team switched roles, and we alternated between curbside, verification and instruction reading. My favorite ‘job’ was working curbside, because I got to meet exciting and energetic curbside staff. The only downside was getting rained on a bit while giving instructions, but the weather eventually subsided.
When the polls closed, I was tired and hungry, but we still had to break down and take the ballots to the University of Guam. The process was orderly, and I felt safe. I believe that the Guam Election Commission and all those involved did their best at having a safe election (twice).
I met many great people from my experience as a precinct official, from the director, herself, to the team I worked with and even someone who has recognized me from one of my letters to the editor. But, sadly, I did not meet the love of my life.
Hopefully, next time.
