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moriah

(8,312 posts)
14. A lot of people take off work to be poll watchers, and don't get paid at all for it.
Tue Mar 17, 2020, 09:17 AM
Mar 2020

Most of them are far younger than the workers I supported when I've been the floater for my county.

Yes especially in busy precincts it is a grueling day, but it was nice in 2008 to walk out and hear the results, plus an entire day free of electioneering! By the time a GE rolls around, I am soooo sick of campaign commercials...

Admittedly I got started doing it because I was interested in the process and worked a Thursday-Sunday job, so had Tuesdays off already. But they were very happy to have a floater, and sure enough I got called up. Every year that I've been a floater in a primary or general on the day, I've been called up (this year my mom had surgery to set her wrist primary day so I didn't). Because of the already-frail nature of our core workers.

Some changes can't happen overnight, but one is that anyone who was planning on being a volunteer partisan poll watcher in November and has a primary coming up in their state register NOW to be a floating poll worker.

If states hold primary elections on schedule but with the changes a few places had proposed, it would still be far safer for elderly people to do drive-through ballots as some places have done with them being the people in the car/passengers, vs being the ones handling so many drivers licenses/ballots.

And if they don't, this could be worse by the time the primary election actually is held, and those workers may not be there for the rest of us.

Plus, even we get lucky on this and don't overwhelm ICU resources, I hate to say it... but enough of the people who worked the polls in primaries already held may not be here in November to work them to necessitate younger workers taking over this civic duty this year.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden

Recommendations

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Florida poll workers a no show [View all] musicman65 Mar 2020 OP
time to do mail in ballots as a national standard. AllaN01Bear Mar 2020 #1
Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t RKP5637 Mar 2020 #9
Well the problem with that is corruption in certain states. rockfordfile Mar 2020 #20
My polling place was just fine. William769 Mar 2020 #2
Where? n/t rzemanfl Mar 2020 #3
Ohio canceled the election. So this will doc03 Mar 2020 #4
Florida didn't cancel, but sounds like maybe some local polling places have poll workers not showing LisaL Mar 2020 #5
I've been saying this forever, but now I'm saying it again... moriah Mar 2020 #7
I thought a judge said "Nope" SoCalNative Mar 2020 #17
Judge said no, polls are still closed because of public health emergency. LisaL Mar 2020 #18
If low turnout Zeus69 Mar 2020 #6
Too much early and mailin vote is in for that to happen to a Blue_true Mar 2020 #13
Ohio was having this problem (before we cancelled) Maeve Mar 2020 #8
Absentee ballots which in OH can be not accepted for any little reason? LisaL Mar 2020 #10
I have had my ballot rejected just once in at least 20 elections Maeve Mar 2020 #15
They are checking ballots for signature matching. LisaL Mar 2020 #19
We had absentee ballots in Mich first time for all..no problems Iamaartist Mar 2020 #16
A lot of people take off work to be poll watchers, and don't get paid at all for it. moriah Mar 2020 #14
At my own polling station in TN . . . peggysue2 Mar 2020 #11
Michigan had absentee Ballots..early for all no problems... Iamaartist Mar 2020 #12
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