News

Seconds after recording our podcast episode with Marta Hanson at Power the Polls, I visited their website and signed up to be a poll worker in the upcoming election. It’s no secret that AGF staff members are fans of democracy and civic engagement, so naturally, I was excited to gain a new perspective on how our elections function. 

A few weeks after submitting the form on Power the Polls, I received an email from the Boston Election Department confirming my availability and precinct location to be an election inspector for the state primary election that took place on Tuesday, September 3rd. The email laid out the many date and time options for the required (but paid!) training and had the poll worker training manual attached. The training itself was informative yet timely– I knew I would be learning most of the real how-tos on the job.

I woke up around 5:30 on Election Day, fueled up, and walked to the polling location. I was the only first-time election worker there, so it was the perfect opportunity to learn from the other inspectors and the warden. Before we could open the polls, I was tasked with things like hanging signs and taping arrows to the floor to direct the flow of voter traffic, and then I took a moment to familiarize myself with voter roll or the check-in book listing all the precinct’s voter names and addresses. 

We unlocked the doors and our polling location was open right at 7:00 AM. The Boston Election Department accurately predicted low turnout, as many of the candidates were running uncontested. Since it was a slower day, the more experienced inspectors and warden really encouraged me to learn and lead the process of checking voters in, assisting voters with limited eyesight and/or mobility, verifying with the police officer at the check-out table that our books had the same numbers, and more. 

Something I did not expect was having to clarify which ballot was for which party. In Massachusetts, we have semi-closed primary elections, meaning we had three ballots for this election: Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian, and if a voter is registered with a party, they may only vote with their party’s ballot. For whatever reason, the overview section on the Democratic ballots was printed on orange-red, the Republican ballots blue, and the Libertarian ballots purple.   

This caused unnecessary confusion at the check-in table. Some voters would go to reach for their ballots while I was marking their name down in the book and would first touch a ballot with the color commonly associated with their party, resulting in us quickly stopping them from picking up the wrong ballot for their affiliation, and some confused looks all around. 

Something I did expect, once I heard “coffee’s on the way,” was Dunkin’, given our location. Pizza followed a couple of hours later, and we each took our hour-long lunch break sometime between 1 pm and 4 pm to make sure we were all back before the anticipated post-5 pm rush hour of voters. To me, an hour felt like the perfect amount of time to refuel and relax before heading back for the second half of the day. 

With fewer than 200 voters from 7 am-8 pm, we had lots of time to chat and get to know one another. I sat next to an elderly woman at the check-in table who has lived in our neighborhood her whole life, and who did not seem to mind my many questions about the local history and how things have changed from when she was a child, to my age, to now. The warden has worked in various public-facing roles in Boston for over two decades, and we shared various ideas about the ways to make an impact in the many communities of Boston, each with unique and varying strengths, needs, and identities. 

Before Election Day, I had assumed my strength as a younger election inspector would be helping assist with technology, but I was wrong! The only technology used included the ballot box or the tabulator itself, and a flip cell phone to be used solely for direct communication with City Hall. Turns out, my strengths were being able-bodied and (very) enthusiastic. I was called on for things like bending down to check the ballot box for leftover ballots in the morning and for clearing it out at night, using my eyesight to read small-printed text in the manuals, finding smaller items within the larger box full of supplies, keeping the energy up during lulls, and many other seemingly small tasks that hopefully made the already long day a bit more enjoyable for the folks who have been running our elections for decades. 

Closing the polls was a much more complex process than opening was, given the time it takes to separate by party and hand count the ballots, tally the number of each, print the total vote report and turn off the tabulator, along with numerous checks to ensure every single ballot is accounted for. By the end of the day, we had learned how each other works and communicates, and felt like a really strong team. We excitedly confirmed we’d all see each other again in November for the general election, took a team picture, then went our separate ways.

This experience encompassed so much of what I care about most: tending to the garden that is our democracy, meeting familiar faces, turning them from strangers to neighbors, learning about our local history, and helping folks make their voices heard through their vote. I am so glad I decided to sign up and gain this insider view of the meticulous efforts that go into maintaining the accessibility and integrity of our elections, and strongly encourage readers to consider signing up to do the same. In some states, you will be compensated for your time. For reference, I received a check for $190 for the full day (6 AM to 9 PM), which included compensation for the hour-long training. I also received a call to confirm my availability for the upcoming general election, and was asked to be a warden! The Election Department confirmed this means there is a need for more of us to be election workers- so if you can take the day off on November 5th- sign up today! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mia Matthews is the Program and Communications Manager at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. In her position, she works with student leaders and in communications surrounding their work. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.