A Touching Election Day Story from Ward 46 in Tuscaloosa

I sat beside Doris Williams for the better part of an hour this afternoon. While she flitted from one voter to another, helping them fill out paperwork, another poll worker walked over, pushing a wheelchair that held a frail, elderly lady who looked to be in her 90s. She told the lady that Doris would help her.

The lady sat patiently silent for 20 minutes, until Ms. Williams walked over to ask if she needed something. The lady raised her wrinkled, shaking hand, and told her she’d like to vote, but that she didn’t know what to do. She lives in the retirement center where the polling was taking place, and hadn’t voted in years; she also hadn’t reregistered when her address changed to the center.

Ms. Williams asked for her ID, and she handed her an expired driver’s license. Her name was Mary Vivian Smith. Ms. Williams found her on the list. “Did you used to live on 32^nd Street?” she asked. Relief washed over Ms. Smith’s face, and she nodded yes. Then, the paperwork began.

When it was time for her to sign the forms, Ms. Smith looked embarrassed and said that her hand shakes too much for her to even write her own name. Ms. Williams had her mark an X (see above photo), and then, with Ms. Smith’s approval, she signed her name for her. 

After all of the paperwork was finished, the time came time for the ballot. Once she was presented with the ballot, Ms. Smith looked troubled and said, “Well, I don’t know who to vote for.”

Instead of getting frustrated, Ms. Williams sat down gingerly beside her and explained who was on each major-party ticket. “Well, I usually vote Republican…” Ms. Smith said, but she was hesitant. She finally made her decision and asked Ms. Williams to mark straight-party ticket of her choice. When it came to the amendments, she said, “Well, my eyes are so bad, I can’t read them. But I’m for education, so I want to vote for anything that helps education.”

 

(above) Doris Williams takes the time to mark Ms. Smith's ballot choices for her, since she is unable to do it herself. Beside them, another provisional-ballot voter searches for her own name in the inactive voters list.

After 20 minutes, the process was finished. Ms. Williams explained to her that her ballot was provisional, but since she was on the books, her vote would probably count. She then asked another poll worker to help Ms. Smith get back to her room in the retirement center. 

Before he pulled her chair away, she reached out a hand to Ms. Williams. With glimmers of tears behind her thick glasses, she held up her feeble arms for a hug, and told Ms. Williams that she was so thankful that she’d helped. Without her help, she said, she wouldn’t have been able to get it done. She just wanted to be able to vote.

I wondered, given Ms. Smith's age, if this might be her last election. I'm certainly glad she got a chance to vote. It seemed to make her happy.

Apologies for the blurriness of the pictures. They were taken with a camera phone.