By james art Many Maricopa County schools have declined to be vote centers this election season. Citing safety concerns, overcrowding and potential chaos, many schools that once participated no longer want to serve.
The show looked at a list of vote center locations and found among them many town halls, churches, libraries and one vote center that was a little more unusual – the Messinger Indian School morgue.
Sabrina Messinger-Acevedo, a third-generation funeral director, joined the Show to discuss.
Full conversation
I arrived at the Messinger Indian School Mortuary in Scottsdale on a bright sunny afternoon and noticed a plaque in the ivy-lined grounds just outside the main entrance.
It reads: “Show me the way a nation or community cares for its dead. And I will measure with mathematical precision the tender sympathies of men, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.
This is a quote from William Gladstone. And while other parts of the country might think a funeral home is an odd place for a voting center, this plaque already set the tone for my interview with Sabrina Messinger-Acevedo.
SATIVA PETERSON: Since when is family business a polling station in Scottsdale?
SABRINA MESSENGER-ACEVEDO: yes So we’ve been serving as a polling place for almost, I think almost more than 20 years. My grandfather was in politics from a very young age and served in several different capacities including three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives, Scottsdale, Vice Mayor, Scottsdale City Councilman.
And I think being in this industry, you have a sense of commitment to your community and support for democracy. So this kind of was just a natural progression.
And I think it just goes hand in hand because we’re proud to work with everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion. We are here to serve our community and this is no different. We are centrally located, we have plenty of parking. So hopefully that eases some of the stress when people come to vote on the day of.
PETERSON: Well, and it’s been a particularly stressful election season, and it seems like we’ve been inundated with really negative ads. So maybe it’s a nice reminder for people that at the end of the day, we’re just happy to be here.
MESSINGER-ACEVEDO: Absolutely. I totally agree and we were so happy to serve as a polling place to try and bring our community together.
We have a beautiful courtyard reception where the voting takes place. It’s just a constant stream of people all day long. And I know in the past in previous elections we’ve had voting here and we’ve had lines wrap around the building and we stay here until everybody has a chance to vote.
PETERSON: It’s just about, on a human level, it’s kind of the most nonpartisan space around. Do you think people are being a little more careful with their mortality or are they thinking, “hey, this is it, it’s just an election and no matter what we’re going to go ahead and spend some time with our families and maybe think about what more important.”
MESSINGER-ACEVEDO: I think maybe being here definitely puts some of that into perspective. And maybe by coming here, it makes people realize what’s really important. And hopefully we won’t tear each other down just because of differences of opinion and we can support this democracy.
PETERSON: You know, it can be a place of strong emotions or people are put through difficult circumstances when they lose a loved one. Have you seen anyone misbehave when they come here to vote?
MESSINGER-ACEVEDO: you know what That’s a good question. Honestly, we’ve never had any problems. And, like you said, there are strong emotions, so we’re definitely prepared to deal with that when it comes up. But no, usually everyone is well behaved I would say.
PETERSON: Well, that’s good to hear.
MESSINGER-ACEVEDO: I consider myself lucky to be able to work with my grandfather every day. He will be 95 next month. And he’s like me growing up, he showed me that it’s so important to be there for your community. And we originally opened our first funeral home in 1959 when Scottsdale was just a small rural farming town.
And at the time they felt like because of their size they didn’t really need a funeral home, but what they really needed was an ambulance. So in order to keep the funeral home open, we also had to act as Scottsdale’s first ambulance. And I hope to continue that legacy of serving our community in many different ways and especially where we can step in and fill that gap.
PETERSON: Well, it’s not my local vote center, but it feels like a very peaceful and wonderful place to think about our unique place.
MESSINGER-ACEVEDO: Absolutely.
Transcripts of The KJZZ Show are created on deadline. This text has been edited for length and clarity and may not be in its final form. The credential of KJZZ programming is the audio recording.