The UBER Poll Clerk

A while back, I signed up for practically everything I could online. Then I started getting spam and I stopped. Now they have me. Those bastards!

Actually, I applied for any job anywhere last month, through CAPS, McGill Classifieds, and whatever else that was posted online. Well, just the jobs that weren't telemarketing and selling things. Which was very little.

Anyway, I received a reply from the Elections McGill people, and they told me I was hired for the period starting from the Friday past (12th) to the Wednesday coming (16th). So I rejoiced and started work yesterday.

It turns out I have to sit at a table with a laptop by the main entrance of McConnell Engineering. Right outside the ice cream place... *gurgle* I think they placed us poll clerks by the type of studies we are enrolled in. Since I am predominantly in math/physics (according to me), I suppose they put me there for that reason. My partner Arabind is an electrical engineer, and he is also graduating this semester. Unlike myself, though, he didn't take five years for his degree, and he still knows people around here.

I guess I should have complained less about not knowing people. Or maybe I should just stop complaining. He seemed rather tired of my whining about myself, and went on the laptop onto the internet, to read about cricket games. Then a lot of people passed by who knew him and chatted briefly with him. He even got on MSN and added a few friends to chat with.

During the time we man the polling station, we were to communicate with the Command Center (in Shatner) to ask questions or to check in with them. Additionally, we are also supposed to keep an eye out for possible campaigning infractions and disturbances. For instance, one possible infraction would be to poster or campaign in front of the polling station. An example of a disturbance... well, you could ask Big Pu about that.

The Scandal

A few minutes into the shift, the command center messaged everyone about the possibility of winning a daily prize for being the most ... um... something?... of all the poll clerks. I think they meant to say that they were going to give the "best" polling station a prize per day. My partner and I were immediately entertained to the idea of performing the "best" we could and possibly attaining the coveted daily prize.

A few minutes later, someone from one of the candidates' committee came by and he informed us that one of the candidates is selling food for her club. We were immediately suspicious, but by the time I got up to investigate, he came back towards us and said she was long gone.

Sketchy people, these candidates...

Anyway, we informed command center about it and they sent down the deputy returning officer and an election coordinator to investigate. The first person came by and she immediately set about checking out a stall with a campaign, and chatting to the command center. The second person came by as well, and they questioned the situation. Except... I wasn't sure what the hell was going on.

In the end, it was Arabind who helped sort things out. Apparently, the campaigner around the corner of the polling station was using a television/VCR possibly from the Engineering student society. The problem was that this candidate was in a position of power already at EUS, and she may have been abusing this power to borrow resources to which the other candidates have no access. Thus, the elections officers were suspicious to the campaign. In the end, I believe they did take the television from EUS because I noticed they wheeled it back towards the EUS office at the end of the day. Anyway, the situation got too picky for me so I stopped caring about it. I'll let you know if there's any more scandal there.

More Boring News About Poll Clerks

The rest of the five hours was spent staring at people and sitting about doing nothing. While Arabind talked to his friends in engineering who came by, enticing people to excercise their right to vote, I lamented the fact once again that nearly everyone I once knew and cherished at McGill are now graduate students or just simply *gone* elsewhere. And almost all the people I know now who are elegible to vote are the ... *shudder*... nerds. And they did come by.

"Drool-boy," affectionately nicknamed by Ian due to an unfortunate incident involving chess and getting very, very sick, came by with all sorts of incomprehensible mutterings while I tried to get him to vote. Then he uttered something about being thirtsty and ran away. Another nerd, the one who tossed garbage on me, seemed unlikely to do any voting anyway, also walked away.

What did cheer me up during the day was seeing people I did know and weren't annoying. Norm came by to visit since I wrote to him about it ... apparently... I forgot... He introduced me to "Butternuts(???)" or "J-train" who seemed way weird. Utra also passed by at the end of the shift and we chatted since I hadn't seen her for the last two months. She is planning to go to Brazil in the summer for a few months and then heading off to London for a graduate degree in engineering. Jorgh came by as well, but then he wasn't around when the ice cream place was OPEN so I never got my ice cream. :(

At the end of the shift, Arabind and I packed up the laptop and cables. Then I realized since we were going straight to Shatner afterwards, but I forgot my coat in Burnside. So we went straight there and I froze myself stupid. Since I had no coat to return with, I ran all the way back to Burnside.

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If you want to chat with me while I'm poll-clerking, I'll be there on Monday to Wednesday, 12-5, except Tuesday when I'll be there all freaking day from 9:45 to 5. Please bring lunch that day for me. ^_^

Also, since there is MSNing capabilities, but only officially through the Elections McGill name, our polling station is mcgillpoll6. I think.

I can still check my mail. :)