After voting precincts began relying upon computers, my father stopped volunteering as an election worker. That’s right about when he passed the torch to me and I signed up.
When my dad started working in the local precinct, where he eventually rose to be chairperson, voters were checked against a “green bar” computer printout. He enjoyed the involvement with the community and greeted most voters by name. He was less comfortable with computers. By contrast, I took every computer course offered in college and worked in the computer lab helping others.
I’m now an election worker in my community – the Detroit, Michigan, USA, metropolitan area. The job was right in the sweet spot for what I enjoy doing – helping people use technology. My job was working the Electronic Poll Book (EPB) – a program to verify voter registration. This was easy and comfortable for me – it is software. I am very comfortable working with computers and programming since it is what I do for a living. And helping people use technology is fun – especially those moments when something that was seen as frustrating or intimidating turns into something fun.
This is an exciting time in the US to be an election worker since it is a presidential election year. Although voter fraud is low, we must remain vigilant. I see my small role as helping ensure the integrity of the voting process in my community. Whatever your politics, get out and vote. Whatever your politics, appreciate the hard-working people in the precincts!
My audit background provided comfort and confidence to the county clerk, so it was a natural fit for my election volunteer work. I moved from IT to IT Audit in 2012. While studying with my local ISACA Detroit Chapter for the CISA exam, I saw an opportunity because I enjoy teaching. As soon as I passed, I signed up with the chapter to help teach the certification course. In my regular work roles, I enjoy training users, whether it’s training them on a new system or producing a targeted training video for executives to use and understand digital signatures.
Outside of work, my life underwent a major transformation for the better a few years ago. That is when I got off the couch and became much more active. My initial desire to shed weight was to be eligible for cheaper life insurance. But once I shifted my mindset, it became more about having fun being active. I started running at 48. I started enjoying it at 49. A few friends would get together and run, followed by breakfast, and I gradually became part of the beautiful Detroit running community. There are various groups of all paces that enjoy meeting up and sharing the love of running.
The results have made a huge difference in my life. Over a couple of years, I lost 100 pounds. When I began running, a 5K (3.1 miles) seemed daunting. Now, I’ve run more than 40 5Ks, more than 20 half-marathons and a full marathon. I can also take better advantage of Michigan’s many beautiful parks and trails. And I've expanded my comfort zone by learning how to swim. Last year I did my first triathlon. My goal this year is to swim a mile. The swimming came about when a friend discovered I was afraid of the water. She challenged me to sign up for a triathlon, and I wanted my two teenage daughters to see new adventures are possible at any age.