On Election Day last Tuesday, I worked at the polls! I read many accounts about the harassment election workers have faced in the past two years in the wake of the Stop the Steal movement and the lingering aftereffects. Hearing about their ordeals, especially the harrowing story of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss made my blood boil. As a result, I was motivated to do my part this year.

It was a long day. I arrived at my assigned polling place at a middle school in Hartford a little before 6 am to open the polls. Myself and the other workers planted the ‘Vote Here’ signs outside the precinct and set up the tables. I was a checker, so my job was to ask people for their ID and cross their name off in the book of registered voters to mark that they had arrived. There were 2 other people that were assistant registrar’s, who helped resolve issues people had, such as not being in the list of registered voters even though they lived in the district. There was a person who monitored the scanning machine where people dropped off their ballots, another who handed the people their ballots, and the Monitor, who was in charge of the precinct.

I was nervous that I would have a hard time knowing what I would have to do, and that I would be overwhelmed, but I learned what to do pretty quickly. I vote on a regular basis, so I know the standard procedures of voting. However, many people who came to the polls had not voted regularly, so we needed to assist them with questions such as where to drop off their ballot, and how to fill out the ballot more than I anticipated.

The other workers were older ladies who have been doing this year after year. They were very friendly and showed me the ropes, and told me stories about past elections they have worked. The turnout at the polling place was smaller than I anticipated, with some periods of little activity, and other periods with a steady stream of voters. Happily, there was not much negative drama throughout the day. There were a couple of angry voters who complained about being pulled through the ringer by City Hall, and many voters who complained that the polling place had moved without them being notified.

After the polls closed, we counted how many people had shown up to vote, how many had voted absentee, and we recorded those numbers down. We also printed out a long receipt from the ballot scanner, called the ticker, and wrote down how many votes each candidate received. We packed everything up, and we were done by 8:45 pm, with the monitor taking the ballots and other paperwork to City Hall.

It was an important civic duty that I undertook, and it was a fun experience that I would do again. One thing to note is how important it is for young people to work the polls. One of the many reasons for this is this: I was able to check people in faster than the other checkers. I was also able to count how many people had voted more efficiently, something that impressed everyone else working at the polling station. So people younger than 50, please work the Polls!

How was everyone’s election day experience? Have any of you worked the polls?