Voting?
For those voting for the first time in next week’s Primary Election, or those who have not voted in a few years, and for all voters in this and every election, stop a minute to praise and thank the poll workers, the Monmouth County Board of Elections, and all those workers who do an outstanding job of teaching poll workers the intricacies and novelties of the sophisticated voting equipment that is now comfortably in place in Monmouth County polling locations.
Thanks to a well-practiced and well-versed team of teachers, for those two hours or so classes that cover everything about how to use the voting machine and be an efficient poll worker from the open procedures, through resolution of whatever problems may come up, to the closing procedures at the end of a very long day.
Each poll worker is given a ream of information, well explained, well thought out, and complete with photographs to be sure readers know precisely what is being taught. There is a complete 32 -page voting equipment manual guide booklet plus a 35-page poll worker manual to ensure each poll worker knows what to do for every voter. There are even telephone numbers to call for immediate help should a question arise that can’t be answered, or a problem occurs with a machine to ensure every vote counts.
Nice as well, that Monmouth County Board of Elections Commissioners and the staff of the Board of Elections recognize the hard work and diligence of poll workers. They explain both hard work and diligence are essential towards upholding the sanctity of the election process, the cornerstones of democracy. The commissioners point out that without diligent poll workers, “we would not be able to hold our elections to the high standards that all voters of the county expect and deserve.”
The equipment manual makes it easy to begin the day, explaining in detail, and complete with accompanying photos everything that must be done in the hour between when the poll worker arrives and the 6 a.m. opening of the polling place. The suitcase with all the equipment necessary even stocks power strips and extension cords, and directions and photos make it easy to know what is going where. There are sections to ensure the poll worker knows how to verify information, where the lights are to show whether the procedure has been followed properly, and hints to poll workers to “do your best…”
Once the desk where a voter comes in is set up, the voting machine opening procedure is also explained in great detail, with instructors urging that workers team up, with one reading the instructions out loud from the manual, the other following, added assurance everything is perfectly in place and connected before the first vote is cast.
At the end of the day, the closing procedure is just as well described, again, complete with photographs, to ensure the voting machine is tuned off completely, the flash drive with all the votes is taken out carefully and placed in the proper binder with the written results report also showing the results.
If all of that isn’t enough, there’s even a troubleshooting guide for extra help.
The Poll Worker Manual covers just about every scenario which could possibly come up during an election day, from who has what responsibilities, To checking the supplies to be sure everything’s there, even a checklist for extra security, to what ID a voter has to provide, mail-in ballots, provisional ballots, standard ballots, proper polling locations, challenging voters, even emergency paper ballots and the rare times they are used.
The team of instructors make sure poll workers know the importance of their position, the necessity for them to do everything according to their manuals, and the need to arrive on time at 5 a.m. to ensure they are ready for that first ballot at 6 a.m.
Seeing the procedure, reading the manuals, listening to the instructors……it all makes you feel comfortable and secure in the voting process in Monmouth County.
Every voter should appreciate the opportunity to do so. Few countries offer the privilege.
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