Island poll workers, new and seasoned, will spend Election Day in the school gym guiding voters through the process of casting their ballots. Voters will see newcomers along with familiar faces.
While there was no shortage of eligible poll workers on Shelter Island, Boards of Election were concerned about filling posts. The state BOE says historically 55 percent of all New York’s poll workers are over the age of 60, making them vulnerable to the pandemic.
Poll workers are employed by the county Board of Elections. Don’t confuse these impartial workers with poll watchers, who observe on behalf of candidates or political parties and other organizations. Read more about poll watchers at the bottom of this post.
Who can be a poll worker
To be eligible in New York, prospective poll workers must be at least 17 and, if age 18 or older, must be registered to vote in the state. Poll workers are paid $12.50 per hour for both training time and workdays. They’re responsible for:
- preparing the polling location
- setting up the voting equipment such as privacy booths, ballot marking devices and scanners
- signing in and processing voters
- demonstrating voting procedures
- assisting voters, as needed
- closing the pollling place
- canvassing and reporting the results
And, in this time of COVID-19, they must also enforce mask-wearing and social distancing and sanitize voting equipment and shared surfaces. The BOE supplies workers with gloves, face coverings, and disinfectants.
You can assist poll workers in their efforts by keeping your distance from others while waiting to vote. Also, do not bring children or other nonessential visitors to the polling place, if possible. Pets are not permitted on school property.
Do bring your patience, even with early voting available in Suffolk County, a large turnout is expected.
Familiar faces
Angela Corbett is Shelter Island’s polling coordinator for the Suffolk County Board of Elections, a task she’s managed for about 20 years. On Election Day, she says poll workers arrive at the Shelter Island School Gym at 5 AM and stay until about 10 PM.
“We expect to be very busy and we will be set up for health, safety, and social distancing with floor markers for where you can stand,” Corbett said. The poll workers had a three-hour training session in August to prepare them for their tasks.
Corbett said there will be at least 10 workers present on Election Day. The BOE provides Election Inspectors. The poll workers must remain on the premises and so are instructed to bring plenty of whatever they need for the day including food, beverages, medications, or other essentials.
Of course, they may step outside for some fresh air during breaks, she said.
For Ellen Gove, this is her third year working at the polls.
“I wanted to serve the Island and our democracy,” Gove said in a phone call.
Although things will be different this year due to the pandemic, she’s glad for the experience from previous years.
“I really enjoy the day and feel happy to have the experience and see everyone who comes in.”
Gove said she plans to prepare for the long day with some self-care and will bring along a supply of wipes and hand sanitizer, as well as two masks. And, she’s cleared her Wednesday calendar so she can sleep in to make up for the long day.
New poll workers
Among the Island’s new poll workers is Cindy Leggett-Flynn, who told the Gazette that working at the polls is a way to give back to the community she now calls her full-time home.
“I signed up to contribute actively to this election and I wanted to be a positive non-partisan person to help make sure everyone who shows up to vote knows their vote is counted,” Leggett-Flynn said in a recent phone call.
Lora Lomuscio grew up on Shelter Island and is following in her father’s footsteps by becoming a poll worker for the 2020 election. Reached by phone, Lora said she’d thought about signing up in the past but with young children at home, the long day wouldn’t be possible.
“Because of COVID, I knew I would be at less risk than some of the long-standing poll workers and I thought here’s my chance to support democracy,” Lomuscio said. “When you think of it, it’s a lot of responsibility and you realize how important it is nationally, but it comes down to the regular people to do the work and step up.”
For a humorous look at working the polls in the days before electronic polling, read Joanne Sherman’s Off the Cuff column “Perils and Pastries at the Polls”.
About poll watchers
As we mentioned earlier, voters should not confuse poll workers with poll watchers. The former work impartially for the BOE to administer the election, the latter are observers working on behalf of candidates and/or political parties and organizations to report on potential irregularities.
New York State’s Office of the Attorney General says poll watchers must report their observations to the local Elections Inspector present at the polling place or to the BOE, and must not directly confront voters.
“Poll watchers must each have a certificate in writing issued by the chairperson or secretary of the political party or independent body, or the candidates, appointing them,” the AG’s office says.
In other words, individuals cannot declare themselves to be poll watchers. “Party and/or political committees (among others) may place three watchers at each election district at any given time, not more than one of whom may be within the guard rail,” the AG’s office says.
The “guard rail” is the portion of the polling site containing the table used by election inspectors and BOE equipment.
“Note that watchers are permitted to do just that — watch — and nothing more,” the AG’s office says. “If they electioneer (i.e., work on behalf of a political party or candidate), engage the voter in political discussions, or interfere with the person’s right to vote, they are violating state law.”
Poll watchers may present questions to an election inspector about: signature authenticity, residence, multiple voting, qualification to vote, or electioneering. Learn about the rules for handling such challenges on the AG’s webpage in the FAQs under “My vote was challenged at my poll site; what do I do now?”
Also on that page, you can find a list of poll watcher prohibited conduct. If you see any such conduct, contact the New York Attorney General’s Office:
- Use this online form, or
- call 1-800-771-7755
Election results
The BOE expects record numbers of absentee ballots in this election, and some won’t arrive until a few days after Election Day. This means the complete results may not be tallied for some time. We will do our best to report the results as they become available.
