A co-worker named Judy R. who resides in Greensboro, MD was fortunate enough to get a paid poll watcher position. She was responsible for wo-manning the polls in Greensboro, MD (Caroline County) which is a small pristine town close to the Delaware State line. She provided a brief snapshot about her experience to the Political Great Whine. I know everyone is still adjusting to things after the historic voting on Tuesday, but thought this was worth sharing!
How many registered voters are there in Caroline County?
There are 5 to 6 polling places that serve over 21,ooo registered voters in all of Caroline County.
Turnout was higher than usual, even for early voting
She helped with polls during early voting and said that the volume was much larger than for previous presidential elections. On election day, the line started growing very early. At 7am, 150 voters had already shown up! By 2pm, nearly 1000 voters had cast their ballot and by the time the polls closed, 1702 Greensboro, MD residents had voted at her polling place!
There was one minor inconvenience that may have impacted a few voters though. She noted that there was a parent/teacher conference at the school on Election Day which resulted in a full parking lot, so some voters did not stop. Hopefully, they returned to vote.
A total of 12,866 Caroline County voters out of 21,000 participated in this election for a voter participation rate of 61.3 percent. Not bad!
Who voted?
Judy R. said that people of all ages, colors, sizes, and nationalities exercised their right to vote which made her very proud of her community.
What presidential candidate won?
Hillary Clinton won the state of Maryland with 60.5 percent of the votes and earned 10 electoral votes. However, the majority of voters in Caroline County voted for Donald Trump.
What lesson can be learned from Judy R.’s observation?
Political participation is very critical to the quality of democracy and there are many ways to do so. Voting, of course, is number 1 on the list. Judy R. not only voted but also helped to make sure her community successfully cast their votes as well. Unfortunately, many people did not vote because they said they did not like either candidate. However, in order for our democratic republican government to be successful, it requires everyone to exercise their voting rights. You can’t complain about the quality of leadership that we have, if you chose to stay home.
Thanks for “listening” to me whine. Hopefully my whining has made you think. If so, tell your friends/family/colleagues that you heard it through the Political Great Whine!
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