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No matter how clearly the very short and direct route from the door to the actual polls is, there will inevitably be some people who think they're supposed to turn at the hallway. Why would you think that? The signs all say to keep going straight! Or they get to the door, the door that is clearly marked with multiple signs saying "VOTE HERE" in two different languages, plus arrows pointing in, glance inside to see that it's full of polling stations, and ask if this is where they're supposed to go.
*headdesk*
And that is why the Board of Elections hires so many people as lineworkers. If they didn't, a lot of people would get lost and never vote.
Of course, it's not just them. One of the women* I was working with made that same observation, and I didn't say it but this is somebody who is apparently incapable of reading the very clear instructions on the envelopes and the signs themselves before putting them up, and who doesn't understand the difference between "Hold up, this particular sign which says it has to be posted 100 feet from the entrance needs to be posted 100 feet from the entrance, I'll go do that" and "All signs must be posted 100 feet from the entrance, even the ones which clearly state that they get posted somewhere very specifically different from that".
And there was technically a test, so she must be at least literate.
I also found out that if the polling place has a very shiny floor, literally everybody will comment on it. Including me! The new floor is very nice. But what they really need to do now is replace the flooring in the hallway, the tiles of which are so worn down that they're a serious tripping hazard in multiple places. Looking at them closely, I'm pretty sure what happened is that when they first tiled the hallway they picked something very nice that's suitable for home use instead of something slightly less fancy but more durable for a high-use area.
* Pollworkers, in my experience, are almost always women, and yesterday was no exception.
*headdesk*
And that is why the Board of Elections hires so many people as lineworkers. If they didn't, a lot of people would get lost and never vote.
Of course, it's not just them. One of the women* I was working with made that same observation, and I didn't say it but this is somebody who is apparently incapable of reading the very clear instructions on the envelopes and the signs themselves before putting them up, and who doesn't understand the difference between "Hold up, this particular sign which says it has to be posted 100 feet from the entrance needs to be posted 100 feet from the entrance, I'll go do that" and "All signs must be posted 100 feet from the entrance, even the ones which clearly state that they get posted somewhere very specifically different from that".
And there was technically a test, so she must be at least literate.
I also found out that if the polling place has a very shiny floor, literally everybody will comment on it. Including me! The new floor is very nice. But what they really need to do now is replace the flooring in the hallway, the tiles of which are so worn down that they're a serious tripping hazard in multiple places. Looking at them closely, I'm pretty sure what happened is that when they first tiled the hallway they picked something very nice that's suitable for home use instead of something slightly less fancy but more durable for a high-use area.
* Pollworkers, in my experience, are almost always women, and yesterday was no exception.
