How does the voting process ever work properly?

I had to go to "Basic Poll Worker Training" this morning. I have been to this stupid thing at least twice a year for the last 3 years, since we started doing electronic voting. (I've also gone to advanced training each time, but that one is not as bad...) The problem is that the thing is mind numbingly boring at this point. They have maybe 5 minutes worth of new information, the rest is just repeat. In the advanced class, you set the machine up, run through the setup & tear down, and you are done. The basic class just keeps going and going. I know why they do it, it's because of all the people working as poll workers that are incapable of actually following directions, listening to what people are telling them, or anything. One guy today kept asking questions during the class that were answered just a few minutes before.

Sometimes I wonder how they actually get the election process done in some of the precincts. Back in the day, it used to drive me crazy to have someone wanting to do something not exactly right, but them also not listening. This doesn't mean that they were all bad, I worked with Richard and Narda Snow a few times, which was fine. I also worked with some people that drove me absolutely up the wall.

When our state switched to electronic voting, they started doing a Poll Manager. The Poll Manager is in charge of the process top to bottom at the polling place. I have been doing poll manager the entire time since they made the switch. (I actually put on my paper that I didn't want to help unless I was the poll manager.) I didn't want to have go back to having someone else doing something stupid, and not being in a position to do anything about it...

Anyhow, last time, lines were long all over. Our lines we kept down to 20 to 25 minutes at the most. (I heard one was 4 hours.) Anyway, this month is a primary election, things should be fine in our place, but some of those dudes I was with this morning were just completely clueless. I'm not sure how they will bee able to run a polling place, they just were not getting the concept for some reason...

On another note, people make a big deal about the security of the voting machines, but here is what we have: Machines that are locked, with me watching them all day long. A PCMCI card is used to store the votes, it is locked into the machine, and the machine also has a secured paper backup. The machines are not hooked to any network or phone line, so to breach the security of the voting machine, they have to get through me first. I actually told a guy that once, but I weighted 30 pounds more than I do now, maybe I am less imposing. I will have to practice my intimidating looks between now and the election.