3,500 poll workers prepare for busy Election Day

By Gretchen Mahan

Published Nov. 4, 2008

County and state offices have worked together to train thousands of first-time poll workers in preparation for any potential problems on Election Day and on Tuesday, they will be put to the test.

As the polling sites are inundated with voters, veteran and first-time poll workers will be working together to guarantee that every vote is counted.

Ryan Hobart, a spokesman for Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, said the department helped recruit workers through their poll worker recruitment Web site. From this site, they retrieved approximately 3,500 names, which they gave to the county offices.

Hobart said the counties were looking for anybody who was willing to give up their day, but he also said they particularly recruited younger volunteers, who "might be more attuned to working with new voting technology."

As a part of this effort, departments partnered with universities in order to recruit college students.

"We've done a lot to prepare, including making sure there are enough poll workers," Hobart said.

Last month, a report from the Brennan Center for Justice named Missouri one of six states most prepared for Election Day. The state was judged for its availability of paper ballots - which all Missouri polling places use - as well as its practices in post-election audits and ballot accounting and reconciliation.

The report states that the use of paper ballots prevents non-voting because of malfunctions with voting machines and helps polling places avoid long lines.

These volunteers will perform a variety of tasks, such as making sure the voters are standing in line and that they have proper identification.

Although the Missouri Secretary of State's office supports local offices with training materials and finances, the county offices are responsible for the hiring and training of all poll workers.

James Harrington, a second-year graduate student at MU, is volunteering at the polls for the first time.

Although he said he feels prepared, Harrington said the possibility of an 80 percent voter turnout creates some uncertainty.

"I'm definitely intimidated by the large turnout," he said. "Being a first time poll worker, you don't really know what to expect."

Diana Costa, a policy analyst for the Truman School of Public Affairs at MU, is helping coordinate activities at the polling place at Columbia Public Library. She said the sites have a good mixture of first time and experienced poll workers, so the process should go smoothly.

Hobart agreed.

"I'm sure that they're trying to mix experience with the newer volunteers to make sure that everybody has a support group to work with," he said.

Harrington said he volunteered because he wanted to get more involved in the political process than only voting.

"It's kind of cool to have more college-age students involved in the political process," he said. 

He also said working the polls was a good way to work with people in the community and cross both generational and party lines during the election process.

In the future, Hobart said early voting could help reduce lines with few drawbacks. Missouri is one of 18 states that do not allow early voting without an excuse.

"It is just something that hasn't been made a priority in the past," he said.

Even if the lines are somewhat longer than in previous elections, Hobart said people need to set aside the time to go to the polls.

"If they have to wait in line for a little bit, it's worth it," he said.