by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Bar Association teamed with the D.W. Perkins Bar Association last week to provide able hands on election day. Members of both organizations volunteered their time to assist voters at two precincts, Woodlawn Presbyterian Church in West Jacksonville and the Mary Singleton Center in Springfield.
Attorney Reginald Luster of Gibbs, Luster and Davis contributed 13 hours to assisting citizens casting their ballots.
“I have a great appreciation for the sacrifice made by those at the various precincts,” he said. “Next to voting, working in the precinct is probably the greatest form of exercising rights in a democracy. Our goal is that every person who walks in here to vote does so and that their vote is counted. The only way to make that happen is to volunteer at the polling center.”
“I think it’s gone well,” added Jim Moseley Jr. of Moseley, Warren, Prichard & Parrish.
“This has been a good experience. We’re all working together and learning how the process works from a different angle.”
With the exception of an early morning glitch with a new machine, the process progressed smoothly. The defective machine was replaced, according to A. Wellington Barlow, also a member of the JBA and the Perkins Bar.
“This technology is a superior method of tabulating votes but I’m not saying it’s free from error,” said Luster.
Other JBA members helping with the election at the Singleton Center included Kelly Mathis, Ron Carter, Arnetta Girardeau and Leslie Scott-Jeabart. Besides the actual time spent assisting voters at the polls, the lawyers also put in three to six hours in training.
At Woodlawn Church, Jacksonville Bar president and Winn-Dixie counsel Bill Joel and attorney and Perkins Bar president Robin Roberts were on hand to answer questions, handle ballots and execute related tasks.
Other helpers at the Woodlawn Church included attorneys Cheryl Worman and Donald Robinson and JBA staff member Kelly Padgitt.
“The project was started by leaders in the legal community and by business leaders to provide people to work,” explained Bill Joel. “The JBA was asked to participate and the board thought it would be a good way to serve the community. Hopefully, we’ve committed hard-working people interested in making the election process better. It’s also a great chance for those participating to learn more about the election process. People have been very appreciative and they’re surprised how easy it [the new technology] is.”