Member-only story
Who’s the Traitor (Election Day 2021)
I’m lucky and privileged to work at the polls in New York City, helping voters cast their ballots for candidates of their choosing. A “traitor” was the last thing I expected to be referred to on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.
I am a registered Democrat. I live in Queens, which has a Democrat majority. However, my Assembly district trends nearly 50/50 between the two major parties, which brings out a number of poll watchers to our precinct to watch returns.
The Trumpification of the Republican party has been exhausting to watch. Now imagine dealing with the trickle-down effect of voters feeling marginalized in their community because their candidates don’t often win. Residents looking for any rationale other than “people just didn’t vote for that person.” For instance, a woman this past June fancied there was a conspiracy because the Democrat primary ballot had three pages while the GOP ballot had only two. I explained that having more than one dozen Mayoral candidates lengthened the Dem ballot. She glanced at my ID (with a telltale “D” for party designation), gave me a thin-lipped grin, and murmured, “Mmm-hmm.”
In June, a pair of wacky GOP poll watchers (and there really was no more appropriate term than that) descended on our site, one wearing a white USA cap identical to the one Trump wears while golfing. Clothing that endorses a…
