Coronavirus stops sports but it cannot stop Democracy and Pittstop was on the front lines—with social distancing and hand sanitizer, of course!!

Pittstop was up at 4:15 am on election day yesterday to get to my local polling place. I trained to be a Mikva Challenge poll worker in Chicago before the world turned upside down with coronavirus fears. So, since I made a commitment to work the polls, I insisted on going despite some personal reservations. Pittstop, of course, is keenly aware that the virus has sidelined the NBA season, March Madness, and it has forced almost all U.S. schools, colleges and universities to close. But, again, democracy does not stop because of the virus.

So, I stood strong, washed my hands every hour on the hour, brought my own personalized hand sanitizer and gloves, and helped people exercise their right to vote, from a fair distance. Despite our site missing a few poll judges and the unfortunate closure of precincts throughout Chicago, particularly in underserved communities, there was still a decent turnout at my polling place. I saw many familiar faces, friends and neighbors who came to exercise their right to vote, and it felt good to hear people thank me for my service. Pittstop believes the highlight of the day, however, was running into Chicago-born rapper, Vic Mensa, who personally thanked me for doing my service to the community by helping people vote.

Even though the day was long (15 hours!!), it felt good to be a contributing U.S. citizen and to help the greater good. This was my first time being a poll worker and it took some time adjusting to my responsibilities as the actual election day is vastly different from the training session, but I caught on and was clicking away after a few hours. I hope other young adults continue to serve in these roles and help keep our democracy strong.

Pittstop with Alderman Sophia King along with fellow poll worker Tyreke.