Marhysa Welter

On Nov. 5, millions of Americans will cast ballots and entrust them to local poll workers.
Poll workers play a pivotal role in administering elections, carrying out a wide range of essential duties.
While some voters send in absentee ballots and others have voted early, most will turn out in person on November 5.
The Pew Research Center tells us that voter turnout was about two-thirds or 66 percent of the voting-eligible population. While no percentages are available until after this upcoming Election Day, election officials expect a record turnout.
There is another group of rising numbers — our poll workers. According to the 19th, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, more than 775,000 poll workers assisted voters during the 2020 election, and this year, it will take about 1 million workers nationwide to staff a presidential election.
Take Beth Dobrzynski, a Wisconsin poll worker who has volunteered for four years. She doesn’t remember the exact moment she committed to volunteering, but she does remember the exact reason for it: to make an impact on her community.
“For me, it was just wanting to be a part of the process and to know that what we’re doing matters. I’ve always been interested in the political process. I’ve always been reading up on the candidates and knowing who’s running for office,” said Dobrzynski. “This was just something that I could do on my part to make sure that people have that ability to vote.”
There are Beth Dobrzynskis throughout this country, all waking up in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, preparing their breakfast, lunch and dinner to fuel them through a more than 16-hour day, telling their family it will be a late night.
She will be joined by thousands of men and women, empty nesters and retirees, college students and first-time voters, and teenagers who are too young to vote but are curious and invested in the process.
On Election Day, Dobrzynski will be assigned to the Voter Registration table. Registration is just one of the collective poll worker’s responsibilities, so after she verifies the ID, one volunteer will explain the ballot, and another will process it. Then there is the greeter, welcoming voters and showing them where to stand in line, often the same person who hands out the “I Voted” sticker upon leaving.
Those are just some of the duties we commonly see. Others will provide special assistance to voters who need it, troubleshooting questions or providing provisional or affidavit ballots.
Poll workers are the cornerstone of what goes right on Election Day.
While most polling places are quietly buzzing with excitement and a sense of purpose, there are some places where poll workers have become figurative punching bags.
How we’ve become so divisive, fueling anger on a day the U.S. Constitution gave us that freedom, is the subject of another essay.
Today, we recognize the unsung heroes behind the scenes, those who toil without a need for recognition or validation but who see proof that our system works. We see you.
For Dobrzynski, her favorite memory is the one that occurs in the last minutes of the day.
“At the end of the day, when we have all worked our day, and we get everything counted, everything matches, it’s all packed up, and it’s all ready to be sent out. It’s just that feeling of great accomplishment and knowing you’ve been a part of one of our greatest rights — to cast a vote. To know that we’ve done our part,” Dobrzynski said.
Poll workers are part of the Election Day procedures that give Americans the fundamental right to vote and have their voices heard. They are making the process easier, not harder.
Keep that in mind when standing in line on Nov. 5.