While some younger poll workers are signing up, many older workers will still be at the polls, despite the risk of the pandemic. 

By Ian Lenahan

Granite State News Collaborative

As Dover resident Wayne Charrette tuned into the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, Sep. 29 in Cleveland, he decided to take action after President Trump urged his supporters to “go into the polls and watch very carefully.”

So, citing President Trump’s remarks and considering the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on older, higher-risk individuals, Charrette, who did not give his exact age, but said he  is in his 30s, decided to sign up to be a poll worker. Thousands of other Americans have made the same decision ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election. 

“With the virus being a much graver threat to older volunteers who traditionally work the polls, I felt that I should volunteer my time instead since I'm not in a high risk group,” said Charrette, who will be serving in Dover’s Ward 2.

With the 2020 election cycle well under way, Charrette is one of many first-time poll workers who will check in and register voters, ensure proper public health measures and help to mitigate Election Day concerns in New Hampshire this year. 

Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan hopes more residents will consider becoming poll workers.

“We encourage anybody to help out. And certainly, it’s a great way for young people to become engaged in a really neat civic process that is voting,” he said in a Zoom call on Monday, Oct. 19.

In a 2018 Congressional report the federal Election Assistance Commission found that in the 2018 midterm elections, “less than one-fifth of poll workers were younger than 41 years old, whereas more than two-thirds were 61 years or older.”

Many of those older poll workers are still committed to helping with the 2020 election, despite the pandemic, Scanlan said on New Hampshire Public Broadcasting Service’s The State We’re In on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

“It’s amazing that most poll workers are continuing to work at the polling place, even though many of them might be considered in the high risk category of being over the age of 60,” he said. “But that’s a real tribute to the civic-mindedness and the concern that they have to make sure that elections… are conducted and conducted safely.”

New Hampshire  utilized funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to acquire “well over a million dollars worth” of personal protective equipment (PPE) for voters and poll workers ahead of the state primary in September, Scanlan said.

After collaborating with the National Guard to sort out PPE for each municipality, Scanlan said enough PPE was delivered to towns and cities throughout the state to last through the state primary and the general election.

Poll workers will be distributing face masks, hand sanitizer, single-use pens and protective disposable ballot coverings to voters on Election Day, Scanlan said. They will likely also be wearing gloves and sitting behind plexiglass dividers to decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission.

The University of New Hampshire Survey Center released a poll on Monday, Oct. 14 saying that 16% of respondents had already voted via absentee ballot. During a typical general election, only 10% of New Hampshire residents vote by absentee ballot, Scanlan said on The State We’re In. This year, Scanlan expects 30% of ballots to come in from absentee voters. 

As of Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Secretary of State’s office reported that 200,834 Granite Staters have requested an absentee ballot for the general election to date; 136,137 have been returned already. 

Regarding the idea of potentially unsettling poll watchers, Scanlan said Monday that this theme is not new to the 2020 general election and that poll workers receive extensive training at the local level on how to best combat potential troublesome bystanders.

“We are looking at it as routine. We’re prepared for those types of situations but we have not heard anything that is particularly alarming,” he said.

Scanlan is confident in election officials’ and poll workers’ ability to handle the influx of absentee ballots this election, as well as being able to effectively enforce proper health measures at the polls.

“Our election officials are very well-trained. They are up to speed on the conditions related to this election,” he said. “We believe that they are prepared to conduct an election that runs smoothly and our expectation is that at the end of the night -- it might be longer than normal but at the end of the night -- they’re going to be able to release accurate results of how voters chose to vote in this election.”

Having received the day off from work, Nashua resident Jaclyn Callahan Leonardi volunteered for the first time with her neighbor in the city’s Ward 1 during the state primary. Estimating that about half of the poll workers were also first-time participants, she said she enjoyed the spirit of community and is excited to return as a poll worker on Nov. 3.

“(The) experience was great. I learned a lot. There's a lot more prep work that happens behind the scenes. I didn't realize how much work it is and how many volunteers are needed to make the whole process work,” she said.

As the election draws near, Charrette hopes that his work, along with that of his poll worker cohort, helps residents to safely and effectively cast their ballots in just under two weeks.

“Voting is a pretty sacred (event) for me, so I hope that things remain peaceful and that everyone can make their voice heard on Election Day,” he said.

Poll worker information, such as hourly or flat pay rates, shift length, work requirements and contact information, can be found on Work Elections, an online project of the Fair Elections Center, a national. Scanlan also encouraged anyone interested in becoming a poll worker to contact their town or city clerk or election moderator to learn more about positions available. 

Additional information surrounding the general election can be found on the website of the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.