An alternate election worker is like an understudy. You have to know everything the star of the show does, and be prepared to go onstage at a moments notice. You need to attend all the training sessions (rehearsals), and you need to be ready to drop everything at a moment's notice, as you could be deployed to anywhere in the county on Election Day.
As the Election was Tuesday, I spent most of Monday preparing. We were told we needed to be available from 5:30 AM Tuesday, and be prepared to work until 9:00 PM. So I charged all my devices, I prepped for snacks and drinks, and I made sure I reviewed my Poll Worker manual. I even showered on Monday night and tried to get a good night's sleep. Alas, nervousness did me in on that last bit, so I didn't sleep quite so well. But by 5:30 Tuesday morning, I was ready to go, bright-eyed and bushytailed. In not-so-eager anticipation, I waited for the phone to ring. And...it did not ring. So I sat there, taking a few minutes here and there to get some exercise, and to check and double-check everything, and I waited...6:30 came....then 7:30. Around 7:45 I hurried and made some breakfast and sat and watched an episode of "Doomsday Preppers" (profound, right?). Finally, at 8:21, the phone rang.
Me: This is Tracie
Election Division: This is Wendy from Salt Lake County Elections. Are you willing to deploy to Peruvian Park Elementary in Sandy?
Me: Yes. Can you give me the address?
Wendy: (Gives address) How soon can you be there?
Me: I'm ready to go, so anytime.
Wendy: I'll tell them you'll be there in 30-45 minutes.
I hung up, quickly brushed the teeth and threw on some make-up, grabbed my gear, and headed down to the car (lost 10 minutes trying to figure out how to program the GPS), and off I went.
I arrived shortly before 9:00, and then spent the rest of the day verifying ID's, writing voters names in the poll book, and signing them in. I worked with a great team of friendly people, and got to visit with a lot of interesting people throughout the day.
The job itself isn't very complicated if they're regular voters. The complexity comes into play if they've been sent an Absentee Ballot and don't know it, or they forgot to register, or they've changed their name. No one gets turned away, but they may have to vote provisionally. We processed nearly 800 people, out of approximately 2,000 assigned to that polling station. According to the register, there were a bunch of early voters as well, which means that station had around 50% voter participation. Considering the numbers at some elections, that is actually a very good result.
The day itself is very long. You sit at the table all day, with a 30 minute break for lunch, and the occasional trip to the bathroom. There's no break for dinner. The polls close at 8:00 PM, but by 6:00 or 7:00, you're pooped and counting down the hours, and trying to keep yourself going with caffeine and snacks. When 8:00 hits, the doors close and then the real work begins. Because you see, after the polls close, you have to clean up, and it is quite a process. You have to tally the votes and sign the poll books, you have to put paperwork in sealed bags and envelopes, and you have to take apart all the voting machines and put back tables and chairs, etc., etc. It's a laborious process. We finally left out of there at 9:15 PM. I was so tired, I'm surprised I made it home.
Comments