MILWAUKEE — Applause and cheers are typically not what you hear at voting sites, but that wasn’t the case at Pulaski Indoor Pool.
Every time a first-time voter cast their ballot or a major voting milestone number was hit, Laura Parrino would celebrate them.
“I did it because it's so tense right now, and everybody is afraid of what could be happening, and I thought, Let's just make this a little bit of a party and a celebration, and it just got infectious,” said Parrino.
She told TMJ4 many were thankful for making their first time voting a special moment. Not only was it their first time voting but also Parrino’s first time as an election worker.
“I knew this would be a historic moment, and I just wanted to be there,” said Parrino.
Around the south side, polling sites were steady. Election officials at Humboldt Park, Pulaski Indoor Pool, and Unity Lutheran Church said they all saw a morning rush but steady numbers after.
TMJ4 saw many parents bringing their kids to the poll.
Niles and Kai were able to cast their “sample ballots” with their mom on Tuesday.
“We got our samples, and then we got pens to write with, and then we just wrote off who we wanted to vote for,” said Niles.
Both said they’re excited to vote in the near future and had fun seeing how the process worked.
Mackenzie Easton brought her daughter, Edda, to the polls on Tuesday.
“I think it’s really important to show her that everyone should vote and get out there if you can and show her how the process is,” said Easton. “She got her sample ballot, so she got to pretend she was voting too.”
Future voters received a sticker to mark the occasion from workers like Parrino. She wanted to do what she could to make the day special, a day she holds near and dear to her heart.
“That’s what I’m known for, celebrating Election Day,” said Parrino.
Parrino plans to work again as an election worker.
Find out where to vote, what's on your ballot, and much more on TMJ4's elections page here.
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