Yellowknife (May 09/03) - Elections boring? Not to Gladys Eggenberger.

Since the 1960s Eggenberger has done many jobs, raised a family here and watched the city change dramatically.

But there is one job that still challenges her deeply, takes up a lot of her time, and requires a great deal of study even though she's been at it for 10 years.

She goes into training for it at this time of the year as she gets primed up.

"It can be pretty scary sometimes!" she said laughing.

Eggenberger is talking about the NWT general election being held Nov. 24.

And for the 19 returning officers who are now in training, it is never too early to start thinking about November.

Eggenberger is a long-time returning officer.

Barb Paquin, who trains the electoral officers for the NWT elections, looks at Eggenberger with awe.

She praises her work ethic and knowledge.

"She knows the city, the street names."

Such things are of supreme importance when you're dealing with voters who arrive at the polling stations unprepared, or confused.

"The week of nominations gets crazy," Eggenberger said recently in the elections office at the Panda II mall. "There are hassles on election day."

Hassles because even though Elections NWT sends cards out to eligible voters weeks in advance, people forget to bring them.

"People are more abusive than funny," Eggenberger said of election time.

The voting process can bring out the worst in people for some reason. They will scream and yell if they are not on the voters list.

Voters in the Kam Lake area, for instance do not all go to the same polling stations.

"The line was there long before the houses were," said Paquin.

Kam Lake trailers have different voting stations, and the strangest things will set people off. They go to the wrong voting station or they are not on the list.

You just have to learn how to deal with them, Eggenberger said.

"Am I getting too old for this?" she asks.

"No. I'll do it again. For another year."