Long-time poll worker tells his patriotic story

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

At 6:30 p.m. yesterday, voters flooded into the First United Methodist Church at the corner of Anapamu and Garden Streets to cast their primary election ballots.
A row of white booths decorated with pictures of American flags lined the half-court area of the well-lit gymnasium, as voters young and old filed into the building and left 10 minutes later with a blue sticker that read “I Voted.”


The images of election day were in full swing throughout the county, and for poll worker Harold Kim, it’s not only a time to cast a ballot, but also a time to reflect on the need to participate in the democratic process.
“To me it’s something very, very special,” said Kim, 73, who immigrated to the U.S. 55 years ago from South Korea and is now a naturalized citizen. “I want to help the voting process. That’s my objective.”
Kim has worked the polls in the 12-1218 precinct for the past 15 elections and noticed a few distinct differences between this election and those of the past.
For starters, Kim said fewer people cast their ballots in person. Despite the evening rush, he said the turnout was considerably lower than previous elections, but he guessed 50 to 60 percent of the 1,052 registered voters in his precinct cast their ballots by mail.
Aside from the lack of people, Kim said those who did decide to show up in person were noticeably younger this year.
“I’ve noticed a lot of young people today,” he said, noting that they were likely first-time votes because he had to show them how to mark their ballots. “I didn’t notice that many young people in the past.”
Kim is the inspector for his precinct, which means he is in charge of three clerks. One of the clerks is 25-year-old Bridgette Connor, who was recruited by Kim to work at the polls.
Kim isn’t shy about his recruiting efforts, which he said were spurred by the inability to vote when he lived in South Korea.
When he came the U.S., he said he not only wanted to vote, but he wanted to help.
“I try to recruit other poll workers to help out,” he said. “That kind of inspires me.”
Kim said Connor’s decision to work at the poll makes him feel young and gives him hope that when “I die, she’ll carry on.”
According to results on the county’s Clerk, Recorder and Assessors Web site, with 30 percent of precincts reporting, 23,429 county residents voted for a Democratic presidential candidate, while 20,778 cast a ballot for a Republican candidate.
Sen. Hillary Clinton led the local Democratic race with 46 percent of the votes with Sen. Barack Obama receiving 40.52 percent. On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain received 41.76 percent of the votes, while Mitt Romney netted 26.38 percent and Mike Huckabee pulled in 11.84 percent.
The numbers seemed to validate Kim’s observation that less people physically show up to vote these days.
A mere 489 county residents cast a Democratic ballot in person yesterday, while 22,940 voted by mail. The poll number was slightly higher for Republican voters, with 702 showing up at the polls and 20,778 voting by mail.
While the voting trend seems to be moving towards the mail, Julio Veyna, who showed up at the First United Methodist Church last night to vote with his wife, said gathering at a polling place is more fun and allows a person to take in the spirit of the event.
“This is part of the excitement of the whole thing,” he said. “It’s tradition.”
Veyna said he thinks voting in person allows a community to gather together.
“It’s like a large fraternity and it’s fun,” he said.
As for how he feels about this election year, Veyna said there is little doubt in his mind that it’s one of the most important in the country’s history.
“I think it’s probably one of the most exciting times we’ve been faced with,” he said, noting that a woman and a black man are the front-runners for the Democrats. “Hopefully this will be a stimulus to bring out more voters.”