Papaya Mom

I caucused for Obama in Hawaii.
It was shocking, amazing, wonderful, crazy.

We left the house at 5:30 p.m. and got up to our recreation center just a mile away. I am in Congressional District 2, District 50, Precinct 50-01.

“We were overwhelmed, the numbers were more than we anticipated - we expected 10-12,000 and it looks like 15-20,000 who showed up.”

- Hawaii Democratic Party

We stood in line (Papaya was the most wonderful little angel in her stroller) for 45 minutes before we even entered our precinct to VOTE!

We (Tutu, Bumpa, Papaya and I. then sat through announcements and began the process and realized the few volunteers were woefully overwhelmed and undersupplied. They literally ran out of PAPER, ballots and sign in sheets in the first thirty minutes and the line was a half-mile long across the park.  It was shocking and sad as people got mean towards the volunteers who were the ones who had taken time out of their days and weeks to train to do this.  Sure, your in a long line now, but where were you when the party was all over the evening news asking for workers for this turnout?  I actually reprimanded a man who began to yell at a volunteer woman with those words - I asked him if he’d taken the time to train to do this and if not, then he should go back and sit in line because his time was no more important than any others.  And volunteers are not there for you to take things out of, how dare he talk to them that way?  I got lots of smiles from the people around me in line after he walked away - only then I realized I’d been pretty confrontational and ballsy without Adventure Dad there for bodyguard - my big ‘ol mouth could have got me in trouble and thankfully it did not.

SO - what do we do when we are at a Caucus?  Well - we voted for OBAMA of course (I think he’ll win in a landslide) and then Tutu volunteered to be our precinct president and began helping count ballots.  I ran home with my toddler in a stroller (about a mile, felt like ten) and rounded up the blank paper we had, got a helmet on Papaya and rode my bike back to the precinct to supply.  Another volunteer had come with a paper cutter and we began to cut small pieces of paper for people to write their own ballots and slip them in, then some lined paper for people to sign into the precinct (a list the # of ballots is counted against).

It’s 10:30 p.m. and I’m off to bed - goodness only knows when Tutu will make it home tonight!

I may not like who he is backing - but Senator Inoyue today on the news said today’s voting was the highest turnout he’s seen since Hawaiians voted for Statehood with an 85% turnout in 1959.  Powerful thought.

Popularity: 49% [?]