At 95, Bexar County’s longest-serving election presiding judge was born five years after the 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.
But on July 14, Velia Salinas won’t be on the front lines during the primary. That’s not because she’s stepping away from the job after 72 years of service. She’ll tell you she feels great.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted plans on many fronts this election cycle — including for those who staff election sites.
Instead of greeting voters at her post at Igo Library on Kyle Seale Parkway, Salinas will be assisting with the election from the Bexar County Elections Office main building on South Frio.
She did not ask for the reassignment. The change was made by the county’s election staff. COVID-19 has been particularly dangerous for the elderly. They want to minimize her exposure to others who might be carrying the virus.
Salinas is disappointed she won’t be helping with curbside voting. She was ready to report for duty when she was notified of the change in plans. She had already consulted with two doctors — her sons — who advised her that with proper distancing and face coverings, including protective covering over her eyes, she would be OK.
She understands the concerns of the election office staff and is willing to relinquish her usual duty station — temporarily.
Salinas has been working elections since 1948. Her first presidential election was the one between incumbent President Harry S. Truman and New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey.
She has no plans to retire from her election job any time soon. Her mom lived to celebrate her 98th birthday, she said, and her grandfather made it to 104. Her health is great, and she intends to return to her usual poll site as soon as the pandemic is under control.
“I may only weigh 108 pounds, but I have a lot of energy,” she said.
She strongly advises against sitting around and doing nothing.
“Once you stop working you are gone. Don’t stop working,” she admonished me during one of our conversations.
At 95, Salinas may be the oldest election worker on the county’s payroll, but she is not the only nonagenarian who regularly works the polls. About 65 percent of the men and women who handle the voting at Bexar County’s poll sites are 72 or older, Bexar County Election Administrator Jacque Callanen said.
Roughly 20 percent of the county’s older election-site workers, who are in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the high-risk pool for the novel coronavirus, have opted to sit out this election. Those 160 workers have been reassured by Callanen they will get their old posts back “when this unusual time is over.”
Salinas said she will miss connecting with the many friends she has made working at the Igo Library election site. Many of the voters and the election staff are like family to her, she said.
Working county elections has been a third career for Salinas. She retired from Kelly AFB after 35 years, and then jumped at the chance to get back into the workforce when a friend offered her a job at Dillard’s. She spent another 20 years in the couture department selling wedding dresses.
Before the pandemic, she volunteered with Meals on Wheels San Antonio and is eager to get back to that, too. Salinas still drives and was told she had 20/20 eyesight when she last renewed her license. Because of her age, she can no longer renew her license online. The man behind the counter asked if she had memorized the eye chart after she read all the letters correctly. He even summoned a supervisor before approving her renewal.
For now, Salinas keeps busy sewing face masks and delivering meals to her granddaughter, a nurse at a hospital near her home, and other staff there. Sometimes she delivers pizza to the hardworking security officers at the hospital, too.
And even though she’s disappointed she won’t be at her old post, she looks forward to working the election in her new role.
If only all voters were as excited about participating in the election process as Salinas. Voter apathy is a big problem locally and across the state. When most people skip the polls, it leaves the most passionate voters — often at the extreme ends of the political spectrum — to choose our elected officials.
Historically, primary runoff elections in Bexar County draw only 2 percent to 5 percent of eligible voters. And there is concern the pandemic may push those embarrassingly low numbers even lower during the rescheduled runoff.
The primary runoff election is July 14. The county will have 32 early voting sites open starting June 29. Don’t sit out this election.
gpadilla@express-news.net
"love" - Google News
June 20, 2020 at 09:00PM
https://ift.tt/2Nh3IV6
Padilla: A love for elections, a pandemic can't dim - San Antonio Express-News
"love" - Google News
https://ift.tt/39HfQIT
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Padilla: A love for elections, a pandemic can't dim - San Antonio Express-News"
Post a Comment