From the Washington City Paper blog City Desk
Doug Sparks, a tough-as-nails D.C. lawyer, is in Richmond as part of a huge crew of attorneys that will be monitoring precincts and doing election protections tomorrow. This project got some big play in the Post a few days ago.
An Obama supporter, Sparks has been assigned to a polling precinct in Richmond. He has already traveled down to VA’s Cap. City Desk spoke with Sparks while he is in his hotel suite watching Hardball trying to “get my wind here before everybody arrives.” “It’s like redeployment for us,” Sparks says. Sparks and several other D.C. trial lawyers volunteered for this assignment.
“I’m resting up,” Sparks says. (He wants to be called Doug the Lawyer. Ha). “I got all my voter stuff spread out on the table. There’s all kinds of rules that you have to know. We got a big training manual. And all these voter rules. They say it’s going to be raining all day tomorrow. We’re going to load up on rain gear. We got to be out there from 5:30 until polls close at 7. It’s a very long day for those of us who are stationed outside the poll. I have one of those Coleman Lanterns for the morning. The polls open at 6. They want us there at 5:30-5:45 a.m.”
Sparks is pumped. “I want to be part of history. This is history. This is going to be the moment when everybody remembers where they were and what they were doing. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Just driving down here was fantastic. I saw Obama signs hanging over 95 (overpasses). It makes you feel pretty good.”
We will be checking in with Sparks throughout the day tomorrow.
