THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 2, 1995 TAG: 9511020158
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
TYPE: Elections '95
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
When Harry Lee Weaver became a judge at the voting polls 47 years ago, he could count on putting in at least 17 hours on Election Day.
In the days before computerization, paper ballots had to be counted by hand. That meant four or five hours of work after the polls closed at 7 p.m.
``There were six or seven different parties,'' he said, ``and one party may not have gotten but one or two votes. But they still had to be counted.''
A judge working at the polls in 1948 was paid $3 for his services.
``Then it went up to $5,'' Weaver said, laughing. ``We got a raise.''
Although the stipend has been raised through the years to $70, remuneration was hardly the reason that Weaver has remained a judge through so many elections.
``It's a service to your city and your country,'' he said. ``You've got to do something while you're passing through. It's a shame people won't get out and vote. Some countries don't have the privilege.''
Weaver, 72, said his dedication to the job was partly due to the influence of his father, the late Richard A. ``Algie'' Weaver, who served as a judge for many years before him. When his father died in 1946, Weaver was asked by the electoral board to serve.
Today, Weaver holds a record for having served at Suffolk's polls longer than anyone else, said Patsy Bremer, voting registrar.
On Election Day, Weaver has always set his alarm clock for 4:30 a.m. He arrives at the polls by 5:15 a.m. to prepare for the voters, who begin to arrive at 6 a.m.
``In the '40s, some people had to come 15 miles to vote,'' he said.
Until 1987, voting in the Holy Neck Precinct took place in an eight-foot-square building near the Holy Neck Christian Church.
``We ran an electric cord from the church over to the voting booth so we'd have one light bulb,'' he said.
Five judges sat inside, and a voter walked to a corner with a shelf on it, marked a vote on a piece of paper, and dropped it into an old tin box equipped with a small padlock and key, Weaver said.
Although the ballots were counted by midnight, the voting results did not arrive at the clerk's office until the following day.
``We didn't have a telephone,'' Weaver said, smiling. ``We had just gotten electricity in 1947. I brought the results to the clerk's office the next morning.''
Through the years, Weaver has seen many changes in the voting process. The small building at the church is used for storage now, and voters in the Holy Neck precinct vote at Southwestern Elementary School.
In the 1960s, mechanical voting machines replaced paper ballots. Then, in December 1993, computerized machines arrived in Suffolk. A citizen simply touches his choice to record his vote. At the end of the day, a tape will print the results, which must be transferred to a ``statement of results'' sheet.
``About 25 paper ballots are used by those who are disabled and unable to get into the booths,'' Weaver said. ``A judge will sometimes take a paper ballot to someone's car.''
In 1980, Weaver became chief judge in the Holy Neck precinct.
``I'm in a good political position except I'm not running for anything,'' he said with a laugh. ``My job is to make sure that everything is running right. If something goes wrong, the chief judge is responsible.
``All during the day, I check my books against the machines. I talk to people, answer any questions and help the handicapped. If someone comes in and is not on our books, I have to call Patsy Bremer to see if they are registered to vote.''
Born in Suffolk, Weaver was the eighth of nine children. When he was 3 months old, his family moved to a farm in South Quay where he and his wife, Gladys, live today.
Weaver graduated from Holland High School and farmed for several years before deciding to lease his land. He was employed by Southern States in Franklin for over a year and then worked as a loan officer at the Farm Credit Association in Suffolk for 13 years.
``I retired on Friday and went to real estate school on Monday,'' he said.
As an agent with Chorey and Associates Realty Ltd., Weaver has been a member of the Million Dollar Sales Club for the past 13 years.
Last April, Weaver received his 50-year Masonic pin from the Masonic Lodge No. 185. A member of the Suffolk Ruritan Club for 54 years, he donated 116 pints of blood to the Red Cross before he suffered a heart attack in 1987.
``I just get up and thank the good Lord I'm here another day to keep going,'' he said. ``I'm working because I enjoy it.''
The Weavers have been married for 44 years. They have a daughter, Kay W. Hurley, and a son, Ted Weaver, both of Suffolk. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
``It's a service to your city and your country,'' says Harry Lee
Weaver about working at the polls.
by CNB