Poll Moments: Snippets from My Experience as a Poll Worker
Yesterday (Election Day), I worked as a poll clerk for my local precinct. I signed up to be a poll worker about 3 months ago, attended an in-person (but socially distant while wearing a mask) training last week, voted early, put on my t-shirt and coat, grabbed coffee and headed to my polling place at 4 AM. It was a very long, 16-hour day, and every minute of it was rewarding (not an exaggeration). I am so happy that I participated in the election process and I was able to understand more about how the voting system works.
I had some very inspiring and humbling moments throughout the day with some voters that I wanted to share. In this day that is filled with anxiety, I wanted to take a little time to share some of these interactions because I found them to be the best part of my day. We didn’t talk about politics (we can’t do that at the polls), it was really all about voting and the voters that I met. I hope these accounts warm your spirit and remind you that no matter what happens, there are still good, inspiring people in this country and sometimes they’re just around the corner.
Voter no. 1
An elderly black woman came in to vote. She walked with a cane, by herself, and got to the polls thanks to a neighborhood volunteer driver. As we got her voter card prepared, she told me that she’s never missed an election. She said, “I’m very slow, and I can’t really see, but I can still vote!” So I met her on the other side of my desk, walked her to the voting booth, and read her every position up for a vote, every candidate, and every issue on the ballot. Towards the end, there was a question on taxes. I read her the issue, and she asked, “Does this mean my taxes will go up? Hm, that probably means my taxes will go up.” I didn’t offer her an answer, because I didn’t know and I can’t give her an answer. After maybe 10 seconds of silence, she said, “Well, that’s ok. I’m probably going to last another two years. The kids deserve a better school system so I’m ok if my taxes do go up.” Then we scanned her ballot, she smiled widely and put on her sticker.
Voter no. 2
An older black man wearing a US Army Veteran hat walked up to my clerk station. He wore big dark sunglasses, the kind you get after some kind of eye procedure. As we created his voter card, he told me he served in Vietnam and Korea, and that he walked from his house about one mile away. When I asked him if he needed assistance, he pulled down his sunglasses and I saw the bluest pair of eyes. He said, yes I do. He apparently is recovering from eye transplant surgery that took four hours. So we walked to the voting booth and I read the ballot, and he cast his vote. As we walked to scan his ballot, I thanked him for his service. He replied, “I fought for this country twice and I’m not gonna let some eye surgery get in the way of me not being heard.”
Voter no. 3
An older black man came up to my clerk station and said, “I’ve got a problem.” He said he couldn’t read or write - he can only read and write his own name. Prior to COVD-19, he was taking adult reading/writing classes. So, weeks before going to the polls, he had his niece read to him, all about the candidates and issues on the ballot. He asked her to write down the candidates he wanted to vote for on a piece of paper, and he tried to read them to me as best as he could. After we scanned his ballot in at the end, he thanked me, and I said you’re welcome. He then added, “I’m not a smart man. I can’t read or write, but that don’t mean I can’t be informed.”