Calling the event at the Durham’s Board of Elections a “party” would be generous. The only things separating it from an ordinary government meeting were the snack offerings and the “Relaxing Music with Amazing Nature Scenery” YouTube video playing in the background. One woman walked in, looked around, said, “This is it? This the party?” and promptly left.
But on Tuesday night, a handful of dedicated Durhamites chose to take a front row seat and spend their election night here.
The attendees milled around a rectangular room with tantalizing attractions on each wall. On either side were screens projecting the North Carolina State Board of Elections website’s latest ballot counts. A long window across the back wall provided a peek into the main event: ballot machines spitting out receipts to be meticulously folded by election workers. Durham’s votes were being tallied — albeit very slowly.
At the front, the five members of the Board of Elections – the hosts of the “party” – sat behind their desks, occasionally signing papers but mostly staring anxiously at screens. With their hosts occupied, the guests were forced to mingle among themselves and munch on the county-provided mini Oreos and Ritz crackers.
Though the invite list was long – the general public of Durham – the attendees were few. Among them was Dr. Warren Herndon, a retired college professor hoping for “a bright night and a better tomorrow.” His party trick was offering a pop quiz to anyone who would listen, with his business card as a reward.
“True or false: the United States is the No. 1 country in the free world, and we are conducting ourselves as such?” he asked. He was usually met with shrugs and furrowed brows. The reply he was looking for was ‘False,’ but even those who answered incorrectly ended up getting his card anyway.
Another attendee was Jessica Felch, a federal election observer who was there to “make sure things don’t look funny.” She kept a watchful eye on the back window, not that there was much to see.
Though she’s not on the board, Susan Sewell acted as an honorary host. She’s a representative with Durham Democrats, and she’s here every week – along with her crew of two other volunteers, also named Susan. The Three Susans.
Only Susan S. was here tonight – Susans P. and W. were busy – but her expertise was apparent. She’s been in this room with the board every Tuesday for the past five weeks, witnessing the count of overseas military ballots. The Susans are the board’s biggest (and potentially only) groupies.
“I’m a diehard,” she said. “I was here until 11 p.m. last night. It’s like getting to peek at the recipe, instead of just seeing the final meal,” Susan said.
She chatted with the other attendees around the room, spilling anecdotes of what the board eats on their break (Bojangles, most recently) and stories from early voting. But besides the ‘Relaxing Music’ and Susan’s constant explanatory rumble, the party was tensely quiet.
One woman piped up, “It looks like Josh Stein is going to beat Mark Robinson!” The whole room – even the board – laughed. Board member Donald Beskind responded, “You think?”
The woman giggled. “I thought everybody could use a laugh,” she said. “That’s my contribution for the night.”
Beskind sighed with a smile. “It’s going to be a long night,” he replied. “We might need a lot more from you.”
Staff writer Nina Moske contributed to this report.
Photo at top: Susan Sewell (left), a Board of Elections Observer and Glenn Parks (right), the architect of the Board of Elections Office watch the unofficial results roll in. Photo by Kulsoom Rizavi – The 9th Street Journal
