Want Some Excitement? Become A Poll Worker!
An Inside Look At 16 hours of Voting.
I’ve been a poll worker for 6 years. In that time I have seen and heard American citizens at their best and worst. For 4 years I would come home to my husband exhausted, exhilarated, and with wild stories. Despite that, he signed up to be a poll worker too.
This is the story of our democracy in action.
This past Tuesday, November 2nd, was Election Day. In New Jersey, we were deciding who our governor would be along with many other down-ticket candidates and issues. Sounds simple enough, right?
The Pre-Game Warm-Up
Way back in September my husband and I were part of a training class for poll workers. Our mission was to learn how to use the new computerized signature system and voting machines.
This class was crammed with people who were working at our county voting polls. People were elbow-to-elbow trying to see how to use the little box on the table. Few got to actually try and work it. The voting machine was just as bad.
These machines were going to be used in the November election and in our first-ever early voting. The voters had never seen these before or used them. What could possibly go wrong, right?
