Wake-up Call

My phone rings at 8AM, and it's Professor Padwe. Given that the results of the primary are uncertain, he's changing the assignment -- we're now supposed to focus on and analyze the low turnout.

So I scramble around to try to find people to talk to about the turnout, and I set up an interview in the Bronx with the district manager of the Community Board that covers my neighborhood. And then I luck out and find an incredibly nice guy at FairVote to talk to me. FairVote is a national organization that, thank you very much, promotes voter turnout. Hooray!

Right before I find the incredibly nice guy at FairVote, Anthony Weiner shocks the city by conceding the election without waiting for the absentee ballots to be counted and the machine totals to be verified. This prompts another call from Prof. Padwe to make sure I knew about Weiner's concession (I did) and telling me that it didn't change the assigment (sigh of relief).

So then I talk to Incredibly Nice Guy, and I get so wrapped up in the conversation that I lose track of time (bad journalist, bad!) and realize that I will NEVER MAKE IT to the Bronx in time for my next interview at the Community Board. So I throw myself on Zach's mercy, and he heroically offers to drive me up there. In the zillion-degree heat (fun fact: our ancient car has no A/C). And did I mention that Bush is in town to address the scads of world leaders who have gathered at the U.N., effectively strangling traffic along the most obvious route from our house to the Bronx? So now we're basically in crazy-game-show mode, with Zach dodging and weaving and me furiously flipping through the road atlas to find an alternate route.

Of course, we get there about 20 minutes early (second sigh of relief). So I have the interview at the Community Board (very helpful) and then embark on the most challenging part of the assignment: finding people who were registered but did not vote yesterday.

How does one do this, you ask?

One stands at the exit/entrance to a subway station and accosts anyone who might possibly be of voting age in the vain hope that they might possibly stop and answer a bunch of personal questions. Fun!

And after all that, of course, I actually have to write the story.