Poll Workers Give Election Day Character

Al Schuster arrived at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday to prepare his Coronado polling location for Election Day. Around the precinct, he is known as "the godfather of the polls," since he has been working the elections for more than 20 years.

 The 16-hour day doesn't deter the retired Army Major. "I do this because I like people, I like being active, and I like to serve the community," Schuster said. "To me, it's fun—even though you have to get up at 4:30 in the morning."

Schuster supervised the polls at the apartments, where he lives and where many Coronado residents flocked to cast their votes.

One of these voters was Mayor Casey Tanaka, who arrived at the apartment complex Tuesday afternoon to fill out his ballot.

The precinct experienced a steady stream of voters throughout the day, despite the popularity of mail-in ballots. There was a line of people at 7 a.m., when the Bay Club polls opened, according to polling staff. 

"There's a lot more action than I thought there would be, because a lot of people didn't make up their minds until the last minute," Schuster said. "There's a lot of interest in what's going on. People are paying closer attention."

Over at the polling location, senior Brittany Hallawell was experiencing her first election—even though she's too young to vote. 

"I've learned a lot about government in general and the election process—because I didn't come knowing very much," Hallawell said of her day at the polls.

Hallawell, 17, earned class credit (and a day off school) for her AP government course, where teacher Ian Silverman and his students have discussed the low turnout of young voters.

"I think people should vote, if they want to and can," Hallawell said. "Each person stands for what they stand for, and you can't really argue with that. That's the beauty of democracy."

As far as the results go, Schuster thinks we may be surprised, if past elections are any indication. "You never know what's gonna happen," he said. "It's gonna be interesting."

Check back with Patch tonight for more election coverage, as the voting results are released.