First, let me provide this disclaimer: I have been a politics and elections geek since my high school days when I was on the debate team. (Of course, back in those days, nothing said “geek” like being on the debate team, so I apologize for the redundancy.)
The caucuses for local races in my neighborhood were held on April 8 at Camden High School. I had never attended a caucus, so I was excited to experience the process and hear the conversations.
The first activity was to check in at the attendance desk. I felt foolish that I wasn’t already on the registration list. I thought I had done that, but I must have missed a step or a deadline. The person at the desk was very kind and got the information needed to complete my registration and get me checked in.
After checking in, attendees were directed to proceed to the auditorium. We were congregating by precinct, which I didn’t remember. Fortunately, I connected with a neighbor that lives a few doors down across the alley, so I proceeded to sit with the Precinct 2 people. She was the only person I knew personally, but when we introduced ourselves in our group, we included our cross-streets, which made me feel like we knew each other a little better – like neighbors!
I could tell there were some newbies like me that didn’t know what the process was. I was impressed with the knowledgeable people directing the groups in order to complete the meeting’s requirements, which was primarily electing delegates for the city-level convention.
I knew I was not able to attend the convention so I did not make myself available for the delegate pool. Nevertheless, I will continue to follow this political cycle and hope to be more involved in the next election.
If you want to get involved in the elections, watch for the notices from the City. Frequently there is a need for election judges, which I did for many years while living in Plymouth. I always felt a great sense of satisfaction, knowing I was there to assist every eligible voter to get their ballots counted. Perhaps I’ll do that again this year…