It's kind of alarming that most responses here have come from Canadians. After all, the election in which Amos voted, and the series of primary and general elections that most of us are discussing these days, is in the USA.

I will not only be voting, I'll be spending a 14-hour day at the polls as a commissioner. I would never have volunteered for such an excruciatingly boring task were it not for a situation of desperate need in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Most of the existing roster of local poll commissioners consisted of elderly senior citizens ~ not just over 65, most considerably older ~ and that portion of the population tended to remain displaced once they had left town. We returnees are generally a younger and more energetic bunch, and somebody has to man the polls.

This is not, strictly speaking, a "volunteer" position. You get a check in the mail about 6-8 weeks after each election. The pay was a measley $100 when I started a couple of years ago, but (mostly as a way to boost recruiting) it's now $200. Divided by 14, that's a whopping $14+/hr. for giving up a whole Saturday.

All Louisiana elections are held on Saturdays, even the Presidential primaries coming up a week from tomorrow. The final presidential election coming in November will be one of the very few times Louisiana voters will cast ballots on nationwide Election Day, which is always a Tuesday.