Don't play games with election judges
On Election Day, I worked for the first time as an election judge and was placed right in my own home polling place. It was quite a day. However, I would like to address the handful of people who gave me or my co-workers a hard time about the fact that Illinois does not require to see your ID in most cases when voting.
Please do go around to the back of the line and tell me your name is Jones. I will look up Jones. Your first name please? Um, George. Hmm, I don't see any George Jones here. Are you the George Jones who votes at this other precinct? If so, I can give you directions there where you can vote. No? What is your street address? Can I see some ID? I need two forms of ID, one with your picture on it and one with your current address.
Or - oh, you are George Jones? What is your birthday? What street do you live on? No? Can I seem some ID?
In either case, you can still vote provisionally and your vote will be counted as long as you prove to be a registered voter within two weeks of the election.
That is decent and fair. We were told we should not look at IDs if offered to us. The implication that we election judges, Democrats and Republicans working side by side from 5 a.m. that morning, are somehow being deceitful or cheating the system is mean-spirited and just plain wrong.
Melissa Sablack Gonzalez
Lombard