Looks like that's that.

I volunteered yesterday to get out the vote for John Kerry. I arose at 4am, and was watching the polls at the Perry Street projects on Louisiana Street most of the morning. During the midday, I helped drive people - mostly elderly and frail - to the polls. It was a miserable day with a chilly, pouring rain. It was a good time. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed that the downtown volunteer effort was a tad...disorganized. Obviously, it's hard to organize for the unforeseen, but volunteers were given a load of options with no real idea of where the most help was most critically needed. They had my cell phone. They had me available all day. I took a day off for this. They had me busy from 5am - 10am. When we returned to Ellicott Square, we were told that there was a critical need for people to drive voters to the polls, especially on the East Side - that we should line up and get our instructions. It was stressed that this was of paramount importance. About 10 people gave their names and cell phone numbers. After waiting for over 30 minutes, many of them then went off to phone bank, and asked that they be contacted via cell phone if they were needed to drive. I was one of maybe 2 people who stuck around to get an initial driving assignment. I finally got one - after waiting about 1 1/2 hours. That was a waste of time. I drove about 10 people to polling places, mostly on the West Side, and one woman on the East Side who, mistaking me for a taxi service, wanted to be dropped off at Tops on Broadway after voting. I took a lunch break and did an afternoon run on the West Side, and then called downtown again. I said I was a volunteer and had a one-hour window to do something that needed critical doing before I had to go home to vote. They said they'd call back and didn't. So I called again, and they didn't have anything for me to do. I went home and voted. I had some dinner and called again to ask if I was needed. Nope. They were all set. Whatever. I'm in a mood full of bitterness and cynicism, but honestly - was anything yesterday volunteer-wise such a surprise that assignments couldn't have been figured out in advance, with a better sense of where resources and people were needed, when? Maybe I helped out. Maybe they're happy with what I did. I fell like my availability and efforts were, to a certain degree, squandered and wasted. Why? My cell phone didn't ring once. Not once. Maybe they had all the help they needed, and then some.