Published September 05, 2006 11:46 pm - The end of Labor Day weekend. In some circles, it means the end of summer. It also means the unofficial kickoff of political campaigns.

Election races begin in earnest

There’s another little chore that needs some volunteers. Running the polls. If you think it’s not a problem, watch “By the People,” a documentary that followed Marion County Clerk Doris Anne Sadler and her staff around for 11 days as they prepared for the 2004 election. PBS will be airing it in October. It was filmed by Indianapolis North Central graduate Malindi Fickle, whose brother, Tim, graduated from IU and went to work for Sadler. “I watched him go from ‘let’s go save the world’ to being so frustrated,” Fickle told the Indy Star.

New York Times reviewer Nathan Lee called the documentary “heartbreaking in its idealism.” Reality, it shows, is much more frenzied. Why? Because county clerks are having trouble lining up volunteer poll workers. Average age of poll workers is 72 and no one is stepping up to take their place. We cannot afford to run an election without volunteers.

To volunteer, call (765) 641-9443.