THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509150164
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close Up
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
In the 44 years since she first registered to vote, Anne Surrells has missed casting a ballot in only one election.
The year was 1956. And Surrells had a valid reason for not going to the polls.
``I was in the hospital giving birth,'' the assistant registrar said.
A self-described ``politics junkie,'' Surrells, 65, can't seem to wean herself from the political arena.
Nine months after retiring from the Registrar's Office in December 1992, Surrells was back. She returned on a part-time basis, working three days a week at a job she loves.
``She has a great work ethic,'' said general registrar Deloris M. Overton. ``I have never in my life seen anybody that has retired and is still just so conscientious.''
Surrells, on the other hand, had a much simpler reason for returning to work.
She was bored.
After all, there's just so much housework a widowed mother of seven adult children can do, she said.
``You wake up one morning, and your house is nice and clean, and you don't have anything you need to do that day, and you look ahead and say, `What am I going to do with myself all day?' ''
Politics is in Surrells' blood. She attributes her passion for the democratic process to her father, a former City Councilman for a small town in southern New Jersey.
``I know there are people who say politics is a dirty business, but I say to them, `There are countries that don't have politics. Would you rather live there, where people don't get to vote at all?' ''
A grandmother of nine, Surrells readily admits that elections get her adrenaline flowing.
``I don't know exactly why, but they just do,'' she said. ``I really enjoy election nights here in the office because the press and representatives for the different candidates show up to hear the count as it comes in. It's just kind of exciting.''
Surrells is fervent in her efforts to encourage all qualified residents to register to vote. Recently she held a voter registration drive at a local nursing home.
``She and I are more alike than anybody in this office because we both believe in this process, and we want everyone who is qualified to register and vote,'' said Overton, Surrells' boss. ``She just has that spirit and it flows.''
According to Overton, Surrells knows Portsmouth voters like the back of her hand.
``At any given time, Anne may rattle off a frequent voter who she expects will absentee vote for one reason or another,'' said Overton, who became the general registrar in July 1993.
``She'll say, `So and so will be in absentee,' and sure enough, they will be,'' said Overton. ``I couldn't believe it. I guess it's because she's been here so long, and there are certain people that she expects to come in.''
Name: Anne Surrells
Nickname: Skip (only to my brother and sister)
Neighborhood: River Pointe in Churchland
Number of years in Portsmouth: 33
Birthplace: Atlantic City, N.J.
Birthdate: Jan. 8, 1930
Occupation: First Assistant Registrar, Voter Registration Office
What job other than your own would you like? Ida Kay Jordan's
Marital Status: Widow
Children: Heide, 47, Roy, 44, Jeanine, 42, Maryanne, 39, Robyn, 35, Tracey, 33, and Bella, 25
Grandchildren: Nine
Fondest childhood memory: Going to the beach
First concert: Johnny Cash, Hampton Coliseum, sometime in the '70s
What song or book title best describes your life? ``The Southland in the Springtime,'' a song by the Indigo Girls:
``When God made me born a Yankee, He was teasin,'
``There's no place like home and none more pleasin,'
``Than the Southland in the Springtime. . . ''
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? A waterfront lot at River Pointe
If you could trade places for just one day with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Any U.S. Senator. I'm a politics junkie.
Biggest accomplishment: Raising seven children and staying sane
Most embarrassing moment: Forgetting the names of important elected officials in the Registrar's Office
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Stop procrastinating
Perfect way to spend the day: Goofing off at home, reading, doing crossword puzzles, listening to music
I can't resist: Crab cakes
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: New York Deli
Favorite Portsmouth hangout: The library
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: Not enough money
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
Every eligible citizen would register to vote
They would all vote in every election
A huge manufacturing plant would locate here, bringing many jobs and paying lots of taxes
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about living in Portsmouth? The people
Editor's note: Residents not currently registered to vote have until Oct. 10 to register in order to be eligible to vote in the next election on Nov. 7. Call the Registrar's Office at 393-8644 for information. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JIM WALKER
by CNB