End of Election

I worked for our county elections office during the 2024 election as a signature verifier.

Great team of people doing an incredibly difficult, painstaking and vital job.

It was an honor to be part of the process

Everyone I met was professional and clearly competent.

The process showed careful design, construction and execution.

If there were any irregularities, they were imperceptible to me.

I supported Kamala Harris for President.

The first few days of processing early ballots showed strong voter participation. I was cautiously optimistic.

Then election day and the horror of watching the national results come in.

Wednesday morning when I reported to work I was still in shock from the utter nightmare of watching my country elect a convicted felon to the Presidency.

I tried to work but as I sat there checking signatures the thought kept running through my mind: “Will this be the last election?”

A coworker asked me brightly ‘how are you doing?’ to which I responded, truthfully, “terrible” with no emphasis. They immediately replied “Oh? Why?” with real concern. I looked them in the eye but couldn’t speak. All I could hear was my heart thundering in my ears. There was a moment of realization and a polite ‘oh’.

I realized I should go home.

I logged off my workstation and made sure it was secure. I badged out and was walking to the door, looking for someone to give my badge and name tag to when I encountered our newly reelected County Clerk. I handed them my items and made an apology that I would be no good to them today. They nodded and asked me very solemnly if they could give me “a token of our gratitude” and handed me this coin:

As I held it in my hand, the reality of it, the solidity, was like a nail in my heart.

We’ve lost.

We’ve all lost.

I thanked them and left quietly.

Bless their heart, that same person called me personally to make sure I was okay — and that if I needed anything, to reach out.

This is my outreach.

What I need is to know is:
Is there any real hope for our country now? Truthfully?

You know what Trump is.

I salute you for your service but I am utterly disheartened by the disservice your party has done our country.

I will keep the token as a reminder of this day and a talisman for a brighter tomorrow.

Thank you.

I wish us all luck.