Subject: election-day elation
  Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2020 19:01:40 -0500
  To: Barefooters list <sbl@groups.io>
    ( http://barefooters.org/join-us/)
There are probably a lot of things that many people in my town are going to
remember about this historically pivotal day, but one of those is going to be
seeing that barefoot guy at the polls, helping them find their precinct by
street name and sending them into the right queue inside the building.

This was made even more profound for them by the fact that I spent most of
my shift outside, where the main line was coming around the building, so
just about everyone entering had to pass me first.  And it was chilly today,
barely above 40F, so I was getting *numerous* variants of "OMG aren't your
feet freezing?!" ... after a while my *hands* were starting to stiffen up
as I shuffled through my street list, but my feet were fine and I told them
as much.  I was occasionally holding the door open with a foot for someone's
easier handicap access, and got a couple of incredulous stares.  Only one
person asked "do you need money?", clearly mostly in jest.

It was also likely better being outside rather than inside, when in the
presence of hundreds of people of unknown infectious state, and I think I
was mostly upwind of them.  Many towns in the Boston area have been in the
"red zone" recently.  Mask usage styles often visibly ignore the science.

So besides helping crank our voters through the process decently fast, my
day working the polls barefoot was a howling success in terms of publicity.
I'm incredibly pleased with this; I had mentally prepared to face all kinds
of opposition and bias when I showed up, but in the end nobody I was working
with said a word -- including the duty cops, other pollworkers, and the Town
Clerk I have become quite friendly with since our encounter two years ago at
the midterms.  Her life has been a living hell lately as one might imagine,
but she's incredibly grateful to have all the help, and our town has really
been on top of the whole early voting process due largely to her unceasing
efforts.

Next thing we need is for civilization to remain intact as a whole...

 =====

[A few random thoughts from later that evening, when I forwarded the above to another list of cronies]

  Subject: Re: the day has come [and gone?]

There seemed to be some mild curiosity about my experience at the polls
today.  While it has a certain bias, [above is] what I posted off to the
barefooters group a short time ago.  In general, it seemed quite peaceful
and orderly.  Then again, I'm in the fairly affluent north-burbs of Boston.
There were the usual handful of sign-wavers of all stripes at the driveway
entrance, but as far as I know nothing got ugly out there.

Meanwhile, stores in Boston itself have been boarding up like it's the coming
of the zombie apocalypse, and the mayor and governor have been going out of
their way to endorse calm.  Hopefully the outcomes over the next few days
will bring far less unrest than, say, pivotal games at Fenway have.

I'm prepared to deploy to a nearby Indivisible group sometime this week
if needed, though, mostly to protest erroneous premature declarations or
post-conclusion meddling attempts.  So much is simply unknown at this time.

_H*   201104

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