Who ARE Those people? Oh, They’re Poll Workers…

And those people are me!

So you walk into your local polling place to cast your ballot. And you see a variety of people seated at computers, at a table with blank ballots stacked in front of them, maybe directing voters to individual polling stations, and at least one manning the vote tabulation machine. And perhaps a quick thought flashes through your mind: Who are those people? Well…those people are me!

Yes, I’m a poll worker, technically called a Precinct Election Official. At least in Dallas County, Iowa that’s what we’re called. We are the folks who help others vote. Our goal is to do this in the most efficient, friendly, and safest way possible. Everyone has an equal voice, and we are here to help qualified voters use that voice. So, you may ask, how did I turn into one of those people, what exactly do we do, and how do you get to become one?

Photo from the website of Iowa Public Radio

Well, let’s begin at the beginning. Ever since I started voting (we won’t say how long ago that was), I wanted to be a poll worker. Why? Good question. I’m not even sure I know. I think it could have been because it looked interesting, even fun, and in my mind, it was terribly important. Without the poll workers, how would we vote? Before retiring, I worked nine years at the Waukee Community School District’s district office in the curriculum area, and our building was designated as a polling place. They would use the large community meeting room across the hall from our offices. And for a while, making it very convenient, that was my polling place. So when I would take a moment to go in and vote, I noticed that those people were always having a good time. They even had crock pots and boxes of donuts lined up on tables at the side of the room. I thought that was because they were all good friends enjoying a little polling place party as they worked, and maybe they were, but now I know it’s possibly because they would be in that room for about fifteen hours. And they weren’t leaving until the very end of that very long day. They were there All. Day. Long.

And now I am, too. And I love it. Yes, it’s a long day, but it’s an important day. As a citizen of this country, I don’t think there’s anything more important than voting. It affects our lives. Every day. And by being a poll worker, I like to think that I’m helping that important process play out. I feel like it’s my responsibility. I’m not a person who will make cold calls or knock on the doors of people I don’t know. That’s just not me. But I can help others vote. So I do.

As a poll worker (and this information is all based on my experience in Dallas County, Iowa – it may be different elsewhere), we are legally required to go through a training session before every election we work. Even if you’ve worked 1,765,293 previous elections, you must attend a training. Or you don’t work. Why? Because there may be new computer systems, new technology with tabulation machines, an I-Pad-like device added as a new touch-pad way to vote, or laws have changed. We need to know what’s what. Every time. And it’s possible that on election day we will encounter someone at the wrong precinct, someone who has moved but not updated their form of identification, someone who wants to register on voting day (which can be done), or maybe someone who forgot their ID but has someone with them who can attest to their identity. As many individual voters as there are, there are that many circumstances we need to be prepared for. We also need to ensure that we know how to operate the vote tabulation machine. Super important for the security and safety of the ballots. Attaching seals, running reports, placing ballots into hermetically sealed bags, etc. I cannot stress this enough: The training we go through brings home in a crystal-clear, no-nonsense way what a highly important responsibility one is taking on by being a poll worker. This is serious business.

Just let me say that after my first training, I was really nervous. What if I screwed stuff up or forgot something? Well, not to worry, as the computer program we use has excellent software that virtually walks us through the process of collecting information, including a script for us to use when asking questions. It’s a literal… “if this is the scenario, click here” system, taking us to the next screen for the next action, ensuring we can accurately and quickly get the voter to the desired result of casting their vote. Also helpful, we work within a buddy system and have a precinct chairperson always at the ready to answer questions and lend a hand.

One word here about the buddy system used at the polling places: Every possible attempt is made to have an equal number of workers from each political party working at a polling place. And we are paired up as buddies with each one of us belonging to a different party. Because of this, I have made some friends I never would have met had I not been a poll worker. On top of that, I have been lucky enough to work with the same poll crew during the past two elections. We all like each other, work well together, and have come to call each other friends. And because we expect this upcoming election to be so busy, I’m sure we will have additional workers joining us, presenting us with the chance to make new voting pals.

Speaking of voting-buddy assistance, while most people come into the polling location to cast their ballot, did you know that if there is a voter who, for whatever reason, does not want to or cannot physically enter the voting place, a pair of poll workers will come out to their car and help with their voting process? Again, using the buddy system – which we always do – we will take their voter ID information, get them a ballot (complete with a secrecy folder), wait for the voter to fill in the ballot, and then take the ballot inside and enter it into the tabulator. Easy-peasy for the voter, and we are happy to get out there and help. If you do choose to vote this way, just pull up to the curb next to the polling entrance door, call the County Auditor’s office (there may be a sign right there with the number shown, if not, just Google it), tell whomever answers the phone what precinct you are at and what vehicle you are in, and they will call us immediately instructing two of us to pop out and assist you.

With voting day quickly coming up, there is one thing I would like to mention that voters can do to help themselves: PLEASE check that you will be going to the correct precinct. Where I live in Dallas County, my precinct has changed more than once since the last presidential election. And here is an example of why I am making this request: I voted early a few days ago and while I was waiting in line a woman came in quite distraught because she’d been waiting out in the hot sunshine for an hour somewhere else, but when she finally reached the computer table, she was told that she was at the wrong precinct and could not vote there. She was then given the name and address of her correct precinct (information we do provide should this happen). But she was understandably upset that she would now have to wait for another hour in this line. So…PLEASE go to the webpage of your Secretary of State, plug in your address, and watch as, voila…your correct precinct location will pop up right before your eyes. In Iowa, that web address is: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

I know people who say they’d really like to work at the polls, but hesitate because it’s such a long day. Yes, that’s true. We must be inside the precinct by 6:00 a.m. to set everything up and cannot leave until after the polls have closed at 8:00 p.m. and everyone who was officially in line has voted. Legally, that line works like this: Anyone who is actually in line by exactly 8:00 p.m. can vote (sorry…if you arrive after a poll worker has gotten positioned at the back of the line to mark the end of that line, you will not be able to vote). Then after voting has ended, we have to shut down the machines, collect the numbers reports, and put the polling place back to looking like we were never there. If you brought a crock-pot or donuts, time to clean up. We put tables and chairs back in place, take down signs and outdoor flags, and then we are clear to leave. Most of the time it's around 9:00 p.m., making that 15-hour day a reality. But for me, this is a small price to pay for helping our democracy run as it should. And besides, I can sleep in the next day. One of the benefits of retirement.

Oh…I just said “price.” In case you were wondering, poll workers do get paid for their time. I had no idea that was the case. When I started, I thought it was purely voluntary. And that was fine with me. Time well spent, in my opinion. But then I learned that we get paid both for mileage to/from the training session and the polling place we work at, and also for the hours we spend during training and working the polls on election day.

So if you’ve ever thought about it and would like to become one of “those people,” please come and join us next time there’s an election. It’s a great community with a great mission. Just contact your County Auditor’s office to let them know you’d like to be on board. And I hope to see you at the polls… whether as a voter or as a poll worker buddy.