Mar. 25th, 2007 08:34 am
Kyla's First Election
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klwardThat statement needs qualifying, of course. As you might hope, I have voted before. At the last Federal election, David and I voted Absentee at the Australian Embassy in Paris, which was quite fun so long as you had no metal on you.
I was a Returning Officer during the UTS Student Council elections, the year that one party all ran under the names of STDs. I can't remember the point they were trying to make, but it was the early 90s. The sole motive for my involvement was that I got paid. By the Student Association, you understand.
But this is the first election I actually got involved as like, a partisan. I joined the Sutherland Greens after Howard won the last Federal election, and what a long three years it's been. So I letterboxed for the Greens. I helped organised the campaign launch for our local candidates. This is the first election where I don't just know who I voted for, I'm on first name terms with them and have met their husbands and children. As the local Media Officer I sent out numerous Press Releases, all of which were ignored.
And yesterday, I did the polling booth thing. You know those people standing between you and the entrance that you power-walk past trying to ignore? I mean, I'm good with that. For years I've done exactly the same thing. Still, I'll go into a little detail for the amusement value.
I took the precaution of dropping round to the booth, in this case a church hall, the afternoon before and chatted with the staff who were setting things up. They told me the best place to stand and advised that at the last election, partisans started arriving at 6.00 am.
I had signed up for the entire day. I wanted a good spot, preferably in the shade. So, at 6.00 am there I was, having traversed the four blocks between the church and my abode with a backpack full of How-To-Votes, posters under one arm, my chair under the other. The place was attractively shadowed and utterly deserted. I fiddled around, putting up my posters in what seemed to be advantageous positions and placing my chair beside a shrub, then sat down to try and digest my hasty breakfast.
The booth staff showed up en masse at 6.30 am. Lights went on in the church hall and busyness commenced.
The ALP arrived with the sun, around seven. We were preferencing them in Menai and Miranda, so all was quite chummy. The lady pulling a seemingly endless supply of posters and banners out of her hatchback said that the first time she volunteered, she arrived at 6.00 am. Spot the newbie, who was by now thoroughly chilled.
The woman handing out for the Christian Democrats arrived shortly after, all smiles. She seemed to be just one of those genuinely friendly people. Upon discovering she was not actually a party member, but was doing this to help out a friend, the ALP started trying to convert her.
We had voters turn up before the Liberals got there. By 8.00 am there was actually a queue. This may have been because the church were holding a sausage sizzle and cake stall, and the first thing that went on the grill was bacon. You could still see my posters and the shrub, but they were pretty much at the centre of a thicket of ALP stand-alones, amongst which the Liberals were now squeezing their own.
At this point I discovered that I was sitting next to a red back spider. The shrub was encircled by a brick curb on which I had laid my stacks of leaflets, and right there in the corner, not a hands breadth away from my, well, hand, there she was in all her black and scarlet glory. She made no aggressive moves. I decided we could probably ignore each other. I got out my 'Vote 1 Green' buttons, put one on my hat, and started working the queue.
I tell you, from that point until the moment I was unexpectedly relieved, it just didn't stop. I needn't have bothered with the chair, except that it was the right shade of green. I'd been warned that the first and last hours were really busy, with another surge expected around lunchtime, but between times it would ease off. Not here. We had all these people who should have been voting in Menai or Cronulla for a start. This was a dual polling booth for Miranda and Heathcote, and working out which leaflet to give people was a constant struggle, you had to ask and hope that they knew. This is how I know we had people from Glebe, Tamworth and the Central Coast turn up. What on earth were they doing in Sutherland? "Please consider the Greens," I said. "What, to legalise drugs?" Was my one hostile reply.
We had the police and rescue service turn up. To vote. We had surfies, bikies, and dear little nuns from the nearby Catholic nursing home and they all had their hands full of sausage sandwiches. The quantity of dogs and small children was breathtaking. As the sun climbed above the treeline, I began to feel quite faint. The ALP lady said I looked very pale. Why had I worn black? Well, I thought the badges might - look, the instructions said to wear something comfortable, okay? I left off the leather.
As the hours crawled by, everyone retreated to the shade. As the shade shrank, so did the gauntlet. If you wanted to avoid collecting paper, the trick was to attend just after midday and keep to the other side of the path. All us volunteers adopted the waterhole detente; the zebras and wildebeest lying down the lions. David arrived with my lunch and said that crocodiles did not observe the waterhole detente.
So, I'd been there for seven hours. Over half way. I was fanning myself with my hat when a woman I'd never seen before (all the volunteers were women except for the elderly guy handing out for the Liberals) turns up and says she's my relief. We work out that as this is a dual polling booth, I got my instructions and equipment from the Sutherland Greens, but she had gotten hers from the Illawarra group. Great co-ordination, guys, but I was scarcely complaining at this stage. I decided not to tell her about the redback spider, but moved all the leaflets. I wished her a good day and started home, meaning to come back at the end of polling and collect my chair.
I staggered in and collapsed on the lounge. Presumably I would have gotten through until 6.00 pm in some fashion, but reprieved, I just went to sleep. I did wake up in time to collect my chair, but I got drenched because by that time the Southerly had arrived with thunder, lightning and rain. Also Damian, who was coming over to play board games and had forgotten to vote earlier. He became literally the last person to do so in Sutherland.
So, it seems the Greens have secured 4 seats in the Upper House, which is double what we had and very good, and no seats in the Lower, which is a shame. We had high hopes for Balmain and Marrickville. Jill got 14% of the vote in Heathcote, putting her third behind Labour and the Liberals and above the anti-migration guys and the Democrats, Christian and otherwise. Julie got 9% in Miranda, which again meant third behind Labour and the Liberals and above the rest: she had an independent in there as well. These results are comparable to the last State election and maintain our funding. I avoided both sunburn and redback bites. Something bit me and my arm is still itching, but I am suffering principally from fatigue and ennui. Especially around the knees. I think I will rewatch "Gomez, the Politician", the Addams Family episode where they back their candidate to the grave, and pray that they don't hold the Federal election in hayfever season.
I was a Returning Officer during the UTS Student Council elections, the year that one party all ran under the names of STDs. I can't remember the point they were trying to make, but it was the early 90s. The sole motive for my involvement was that I got paid. By the Student Association, you understand.
But this is the first election I actually got involved as like, a partisan. I joined the Sutherland Greens after Howard won the last Federal election, and what a long three years it's been. So I letterboxed for the Greens. I helped organised the campaign launch for our local candidates. This is the first election where I don't just know who I voted for, I'm on first name terms with them and have met their husbands and children. As the local Media Officer I sent out numerous Press Releases, all of which were ignored.
And yesterday, I did the polling booth thing. You know those people standing between you and the entrance that you power-walk past trying to ignore? I mean, I'm good with that. For years I've done exactly the same thing. Still, I'll go into a little detail for the amusement value.
I took the precaution of dropping round to the booth, in this case a church hall, the afternoon before and chatted with the staff who were setting things up. They told me the best place to stand and advised that at the last election, partisans started arriving at 6.00 am.
I had signed up for the entire day. I wanted a good spot, preferably in the shade. So, at 6.00 am there I was, having traversed the four blocks between the church and my abode with a backpack full of How-To-Votes, posters under one arm, my chair under the other. The place was attractively shadowed and utterly deserted. I fiddled around, putting up my posters in what seemed to be advantageous positions and placing my chair beside a shrub, then sat down to try and digest my hasty breakfast.
The booth staff showed up en masse at 6.30 am. Lights went on in the church hall and busyness commenced.
The ALP arrived with the sun, around seven. We were preferencing them in Menai and Miranda, so all was quite chummy. The lady pulling a seemingly endless supply of posters and banners out of her hatchback said that the first time she volunteered, she arrived at 6.00 am. Spot the newbie, who was by now thoroughly chilled.
The woman handing out for the Christian Democrats arrived shortly after, all smiles. She seemed to be just one of those genuinely friendly people. Upon discovering she was not actually a party member, but was doing this to help out a friend, the ALP started trying to convert her.
We had voters turn up before the Liberals got there. By 8.00 am there was actually a queue. This may have been because the church were holding a sausage sizzle and cake stall, and the first thing that went on the grill was bacon. You could still see my posters and the shrub, but they were pretty much at the centre of a thicket of ALP stand-alones, amongst which the Liberals were now squeezing their own.
At this point I discovered that I was sitting next to a red back spider. The shrub was encircled by a brick curb on which I had laid my stacks of leaflets, and right there in the corner, not a hands breadth away from my, well, hand, there she was in all her black and scarlet glory. She made no aggressive moves. I decided we could probably ignore each other. I got out my 'Vote 1 Green' buttons, put one on my hat, and started working the queue.
I tell you, from that point until the moment I was unexpectedly relieved, it just didn't stop. I needn't have bothered with the chair, except that it was the right shade of green. I'd been warned that the first and last hours were really busy, with another surge expected around lunchtime, but between times it would ease off. Not here. We had all these people who should have been voting in Menai or Cronulla for a start. This was a dual polling booth for Miranda and Heathcote, and working out which leaflet to give people was a constant struggle, you had to ask and hope that they knew. This is how I know we had people from Glebe, Tamworth and the Central Coast turn up. What on earth were they doing in Sutherland? "Please consider the Greens," I said. "What, to legalise drugs?" Was my one hostile reply.
We had the police and rescue service turn up. To vote. We had surfies, bikies, and dear little nuns from the nearby Catholic nursing home and they all had their hands full of sausage sandwiches. The quantity of dogs and small children was breathtaking. As the sun climbed above the treeline, I began to feel quite faint. The ALP lady said I looked very pale. Why had I worn black? Well, I thought the badges might - look, the instructions said to wear something comfortable, okay? I left off the leather.
As the hours crawled by, everyone retreated to the shade. As the shade shrank, so did the gauntlet. If you wanted to avoid collecting paper, the trick was to attend just after midday and keep to the other side of the path. All us volunteers adopted the waterhole detente; the zebras and wildebeest lying down the lions. David arrived with my lunch and said that crocodiles did not observe the waterhole detente.
So, I'd been there for seven hours. Over half way. I was fanning myself with my hat when a woman I'd never seen before (all the volunteers were women except for the elderly guy handing out for the Liberals) turns up and says she's my relief. We work out that as this is a dual polling booth, I got my instructions and equipment from the Sutherland Greens, but she had gotten hers from the Illawarra group. Great co-ordination, guys, but I was scarcely complaining at this stage. I decided not to tell her about the redback spider, but moved all the leaflets. I wished her a good day and started home, meaning to come back at the end of polling and collect my chair.
I staggered in and collapsed on the lounge. Presumably I would have gotten through until 6.00 pm in some fashion, but reprieved, I just went to sleep. I did wake up in time to collect my chair, but I got drenched because by that time the Southerly had arrived with thunder, lightning and rain. Also Damian, who was coming over to play board games and had forgotten to vote earlier. He became literally the last person to do so in Sutherland.
So, it seems the Greens have secured 4 seats in the Upper House, which is double what we had and very good, and no seats in the Lower, which is a shame. We had high hopes for Balmain and Marrickville. Jill got 14% of the vote in Heathcote, putting her third behind Labour and the Liberals and above the anti-migration guys and the Democrats, Christian and otherwise. Julie got 9% in Miranda, which again meant third behind Labour and the Liberals and above the rest: she had an independent in there as well. These results are comparable to the last State election and maintain our funding. I avoided both sunburn and redback bites. Something bit me and my arm is still itching, but I am suffering principally from fatigue and ennui. Especially around the knees. I think I will rewatch "Gomez, the Politician", the Addams Family episode where they back their candidate to the grave, and pray that they don't hold the Federal election in hayfever season.
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no subject
Thank you.
I've done several elections as a paid poll person, and may I say, it's a long boring day. And if you get the scrutineer from hell who makes you count everything three times, well let's just say the people who man the booths deserve their pittance.
And I'm glad you respected the red-back's space and didn't kill her. red-backs aren't normally agressive, unless poked. Funnelwebs are the agresssive ones.
no subject
And thank you. As always, you are too kind.
no subject
Are you and David free on Anzac Day? We are planning another games day at our place. I need to play Settlers.
no subject
Anzac Day should be fine. I can play Settlers, but only with dramatic mood music.
no subject
Usual deal: we supply lunch. Is chicken and salad etc okay for you two?
no subject
no subject
good quality dark chocolate (only the best will do)
butter (probably not)
sugar (rather a lot)
plain flour
flaked almonds.
Very yummy, fattening, and easy to make. Let me know if there's any way I can twitch this recipe.
no subject
no subject
Sorry. Indeed, I am!