Classroom Publication

Issue date: 11/10/08 Section: Election night

Begin:

"Hey, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, give me a minute. What do you have to do again?"

"I've got to drive downtown to Delaware Ave to stop at three addresses that have five polling places between them. The addresses are all next to each other - 21, 25, and 27. It should be relatively simple."

"Okay cool. What are you doing this for again?"

"I got the offer through my EZines class at UAlbany, but it's actually for the Capital District Election Service. Basically I have to go check in at all the places, and then make another round to collect the results of the elections so I can call them in to the Capital District Election Service who then disperses the information to a handful of news networks."

"Okay, do you know where we need to go?"

"Yeah, 21, 25, and 27 Delaware Avenue."

Making The Rounds:

I walked through the door of 21 Delaware Ave - A Boys & Girls club and I saw a woman sitting at the front desk - the security guard. She pointed me toward the polling place.

"Hi I'm here with the Capital District Election Service. These are my credentials here."

"Okay, and what exactly do you need?"

"I'm actually covering five polling places, and this is one of them, so right now I'm just checking in, and I'm going to come back after the polls close to collect the results."

I pulled out the polling sheet.

"These are all the races that I'll need results for. I'm going to collect them, and then call in the early results to the CDES before the board of elections makes the final call."

"Okay, so you'll be back at the end of the night?"

"Yes, I'm just going to go check in to the other precincts, and then I'll be back."

I went to the next building over - 25 Delaware Ave - The Louise Corning Senior Citizens Center. The first room I entered had three voting machines and three tables. I approached a bald man sitting at the first table.

"Hi, I'm with the Capital District Election Service. These are my credentials here. I'm covering five precincts on this street. Three of them are in this building."

"Yeah, these are the three of them right here."

The man pointed to the three voting machines.

"Now what do you need?"

"I just need the election results at the end of the night for all of these races."

I pulled the polling sheet out for him to take a look at.

"Alright...I'm sorry this is the first time I've done this."

"Me too."

"Okay, I would just show this to the people at the other tables too."

I did. Then I crossed the side street to the next building over. It looked dark, except for a few doorways in the front, and one alcove on the side.

I tried the front doors, but they were locked. I went around to the alcove on the side but the door was locked. As I emerged from the alcove I saw an undercover police car pulling up on the sidewalk.

"What are you boys up to?"

"I'm with the Capital District Election Service. I'm collecting results from five precincts. I was just over at 21, and 25 Delaware Ave. There were four precincts between those two buildings, and now I'm just looking for 27 Delaware Ave."

"Well this is 45 Delaware Ave."

"Well if that was 25, and this is 45 then where is 27?"

"I don't think that address exists."
"I have the addressed polling sheets right here."

I pulled the sheet for 27 Delaware Ave out of the envelope.

"Oh okay this sheet actually says 27 Delaware Street. Do you know where that is?"

"I think that's way down in the south end."

"Alright well thanks anyway. I've got to go find that before they close."

Skepticism:

"Hi I'm here for the Capital District Election Service. These are my credentials here."

"You're here for who?"

"The Capital District Election Service. I'm calling in early election results to all these networks."

I pointed to the bottom of the credentials where there were logos for Capital News 9, The Times Union, WGY, WNYT, WTEN, WXXA, and a few others.

"Okay...I'm just going to have to see your Identification."

I handed the old lady my license.

"Hmm...now where does it say your name on this sheet here?"

"It doesn't, but if you call the toll free number on the back and ask them who is covering this precinct they should have my name on file."

An old man began to take interest.

"Now what numbers do you need?"

I showed him the sheet I was to fill out. There were columns to count the numbers for the presidential race, State Supreme Court, New York House, State Senate, State Assembly, Albany County District Attorney, Albany Board Of Education, and a proposition.

"Okay, well we haven't finished counting the results."

It was around 9:00pm at this point, and the polls were now closed to the public.

"Okay, well I'm also covering four precincts uptown on Delaware Avenue, so I guess I can go make the rounds up there, and then come back. Do you think you'll be done in about a half hour?"

"That seems about right."

Refusal:

"Hi, I'm with the Capital District Election Service. I stopped by earlier to --"

"You're what? You're from where?"

"The Capital District Election Service. I'm supposed to be reporting the results from five precincts - this is one of them. I stopped by earlier to check in, and there didn't seem to be a problem."

"What do you need?"

"I need to fill in the blanks on these papers."

I produced the ballot with the blank spaces next to the candidates names.

"Well, I've gotta go. Get them from someone else."

The man rushed out the door. A woman turned her attention to me.

"Well...we had 496 voters."

"Thank you ma'am. These are actually the numbers I need right here."

She looked at the ballot sheet.

"Oh, okay. He was actually the one that had all those numbers. He was bringing them over to the board of elections."

"So nobody here knows these numbers?"

"No, he had all of them in that bag."

I ran out the door to track him down, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Run Around:

"Hi, I'm with the Capital District Election Service. I stopped by earlier, and it seemed like I would be able to get the results."

I handed my credentials, and the ballot sheet to the lone woman in the room that moments earlier had housed three precincts.

"I'm sorry we're closed sir."

"No, no, I'm with the Capital District Election Service, and I need the numbers to call into the networks."

"I'm sorry sir, but the numbers are all on their way to the board of elections. You should have been here at 9:00pm."

"I understand that, but I am supposed to be covering five precincts, I can't be at all of them at closing time."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't help you."

I left in a huff, and noticed a bald man I had spoken with earlier in the passenger seat of a car about to leave.

"Excuse me sir, I spoke with you earlier. I'm from the Capital District Election Service, and I'm just trying to get the results so I can call them in to the networks."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I think the people with those numbers are gone now."

I looked around dizzily, about to give up. The woman in the driver's seat of the same car rolled her window down.

"Sir? If you want...you can head over to the board of elections, and see if you might be able to get the numbers there."

"That would be great. Where is the board of elections?"

"You're going to have to cross over to Central Ave. and drive way uptown near West Gate Plaza. Russell road is where the board of elections is. I'm not sure of the address, but there should be a lot of cars there."

"Thank you very much ma'am."

Desperation:

"Should we even try that precinct downtown again?" I asked Justin.

"I think we should just head over to the board of elections. Otherwise we're just going to get down there, and wind up getting referred to the board of elections anyway."

"Okay, fine. Get in the car."

NPR was on the radio. The reporter said "Ohio has just gone to Barack Obama. No Republican presidential candidate has ever won the presidency without this state."

I looked at the clock. It was only 9:30pm.

"Alright here's Russell Road up on the right."

I made the turn and immediately saw many cars, police cars among them. There was a sheriff directing traffic.

"Hi I'm with the Capital District Election service. I just need to get the early results for these races."

I showed him my credentials, and the poll sheet.

"Journalist. You're going to have to go park in that lot over there, and then go around to the side door."

I walked around to the side door, but it was locked. I spotted a classmate in the lobby.

"Shaun!"

He saw me, and told one of the female workers. She came over to open the door.

"Hi I'm with the Capital District Election Service, I need to get the end results of five polling places to call in to the networks on the bottom of this sheet."

"Come on in. You're going to have to wait at this counter over here, and the results will show up on that screen over there."

"So are the numbers just going to show up on that screen by precinct?"

"No the numbers will show up with the total at the end of the night."

"How long is that going to be?"

"Well, sometimes we're working here until midnight or later."

It was only 9:45pm. Then Shaun reminded me about the number on the CDES credentials sheet.

"Maybe we should call this number. It says to call them if we encounter any problems while collecting the information."

I dialed the toll free number for the CDES into my phone.

"Busy."

I called back six times before I got through.

"Hi, I'm at the board of elections right now, and I'm having difficulty getting the numbers to report."

"I'm sorry sir please tell me the results for one election at a time."

The woman was obviously in a buzzing roomful of people.

"No, I don't have the results, I'm at the board of elections, and I'm trying to get the numbers, but I'm having difficulties, I was wondering if you could possibly call the board here, and pull some strings."

"Okay sir please slow down, and give me the results one at a time."

"No, I don't have any results, I'm at the board of elections and I'm having difficulties."

A man came on the phone.

"Hello sir, what is the problem?"

"I was supposed to call in results for five precincts in Albany, but I was unable to get the numbers at the polling places, so I am now at the board of elections trying to get the numbers, but I'm having difficulties, and I was wondering if you could call the board here, and try and sort this out."

"Okay where are you now?"

"I'm in the back room, and the numbers are in the front room, but I think they're trying to make me wait until they count them to give me the results."

"Okay well once they count them, and send the official results our way, we will no longer need your numbers. You were only calling in early results before the board of elections got the numbers."

Game Over.

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