Very Insightful: WI Poll Report
FROM:
A Wisconsin Poll Worker
WI Poll Worker Report
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/4/8/1935730/-WI-Poll-Worker-Report?utm_campaign=trending
I have been a poll worker for a several years. Like most of the poll workers out there I am retired although I am quite a bit younger than average, being only 58 years old.
Last year my husband and I moved from central Wisconsin to northern Wisconsin, in Burnett County near my husband’s home town. Burnett County is sparsely populated with most of the population disappearing with the first snow fall. This is a summer vacation destination for the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul as well as many Illinois residents making the long drive for fishing and hunting. Most of the cabins surrounding our property close up in the winter which can start as early as October.
There are very few year round residents.
The last census has the population of the entire county at 15,458. Most winter days it seems like there are fewer than half that! We are lucky to see more than 10 people, including employees, in the grocery store, which is over 20 miles away from our home.
When I registered to vote after moving up here (second only to acquiring a library card) our election supervisor was happy to hear that I was willing to work as a poll worker. I can’t say enough good things about K.B. He is one of the most organized people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.
In addition to the primaries and general elections scheduled, Wisconsin’s 7th district has a special election scheduled for May 12, 2020 because Sean Duffy quit (or retired, depending on how Wisconsin Nice you want to be).
Now a little bit about me. I am a Liberal/Progressive. Feminist. Atheist. This makes working the elections an exercise in philosophy for me. Do I support Democracy? A resounding YES! Do I want to help the illiterate Trump supporter register to vote (WI has same day registration) and then assist them as much as possible, and within the guidelines of my job as a poll worker, because they are… struggling?
Very difficult to do but, I have to. It’s my job. I have had to explain politely to an angry citizen who demanded that he be allowed to “vote for Trump” at our polls, despite the fact that he lived 100’s of miles away, “because he was an American” and should be allowed “to vote anywhere”.
So much to unpack, right? I mean, how do you break that down for a low information voter determined to vote Republican while you are working in the very non-partisan capacity of a poll worker? The strongest thing I’ve ever said was to recommend that they “contact their representative” with their concerns/complaints.
The most common complaint I’ve had to deal with is regarding the ID requirement. In the small towns where I’ve worked as a poll worker, we literally know everyone who walks through the door. Most of the conversation prior to the actual getting them through the lines involves small town chit chat. Discussion about what was said at church last Sunday and who is going to be at the fund raising event next week, who is having a garage sale, upcoming marriages or recent funerals, etc.
Then we ask for their ID and request that they state their name and address. Most of this occurs with a shrug or a small fuss or smile; but there is also quite a bit of push back. I mean, we’re ID’ing neighbors and friends and in a lot of cases, relatives.
Yet, it is our job. On this past Tuesday there was a collective groan when a local voter walked in. He is notorious for complaining about the State Law requiring a photo ID. And yes, he did spend about 5 minutes lecturing us about “his right” to vote. We all smiled and I stated to the room “it’s OK! We have plenty of time! We can be patient with him! It’s not like any of us are going anywhere!” Then I smiled and we all waited in silence until he produced his ID. He’s a Republican of course. No sense of irony.
So, about this last Tuesday April 7, 2020. K.B. our election supervisor emailed us throughout the day on Monday April 6th with updates. Would we have an election or not? The entire world of course knows that in the end, Wisconsin had an election.
For our small precinct then, it was all about protecting our friends and neighbors and ourselves from the virus. Not one poll worker declined to work, despite the fact that everyone was elderly and suffered from at least one medical reason for staying home. Again, I was the youngest worker (by far) there at age 58.
My husband, who suffered pulmonary embolism last summer and who has severe asthma as well as a Military Disability related to his lungs volunteered to be a “greeter” at the doors. His job was to enforce social distancing by allowing only 3 voters into the building at a time and to instruct them to “follow the new rules” as they entered the building.
We were provided masks, gloves, disinfectant and free pens for each voter. It was pretty low tech compared to what I saw in the news later that evening on the news. To see Robin Vos, the Republican assembly speaker here in WI decked out in more gear than we were provided with, while he explained how “safe” this all was….no words.
K.B. had moved tables to create a safe distance between the poll workers and the voters. The floor was covered with masking tape with X’s marking the distance required between voters. There was a special station set up for hand washing.
K.B. had created a unique way for us to view the ID: he used a canoe paddle with a small cardboard box affixed to it. The voter, who was 3 tables away from us, would place their ID in the box. We would slide the paddle to us, not touching the ID, and view it to confirm the identity of the voter.
One voter had taken the time to decorate her WI ID by covering the tiny photo of her face with a cut out mask, which she was wearing to the polls. Pretty funny stuff!
There was then the book where voters sign in, with another wooden pole and jerry-rigged box that we would slide over, across the tables, to the voter for them to sign. Each voter was provided a free pen, which we then requested they use for our (one) machine to vote, as a stylist. If a voter did not use the pen, but instead used their hands, the machine would be wiped down and sterilized before the next voter.
It all would have been safer IF it wasn’t small town. Too many of the voters came too close to pass out store coupons or treats for their neighbors and friends. Too many voters stood way too close to each other as they cheerfully got caught up on “the news” regarding church or clubs or other social events, now canceled or postponed.
Of course the paper ballots were a nightmare, requiring us to handle paper; 5 sheets per voter because of the local referendums, state referendums, judicial, and of course the presidential primary. We had to handle each of the papers as we assisted elderly voters and some confused voters to break down each piece of paper into the proper ballot box. There was no 6 feet of distancing for these voters. It just wasn’t possible. And we are required to provide paper ballots for everyone who requests one.
We were dealing with hard of hearing voters, voters who struggled with canes and other assistive devices and just general, as I stated, low information voters who struggled with the simplest instructions.
Were we safe? No. Not at all. Many voters came in with gloves and/or masks, but just as many did not and far too many ignored social distancing while they chatted and got caught up on local news.
Our election supervisor did an excellent job given his resources. But he couldn’t contain human nature or old habits.
No one in our precinct had to wait more than 5 minutes to vote. That’s normal up here in northern WI.
As a progressive/liberal I can only hope that all of us—voters and poll workers—put ourselves out there to shut down the Republicans in our lovely state.
= new reply since forum marked as read
............As a progressive/liberal I can only hope that all of us—voters and poll workers—put ourselves out there to shut down the Republicans in our lovely state.
It’s very informative and useful anecdotally.
I have just one little niggle. I think you meant to say “stylus” instead of “stylist.”
-Laelth
