A day in the life of a poll worker

To the Editor,

I feel compelled, after so much disinformation being spewed in the last couple of days, to just let the general public know about the day of a poll worker in Van Wert County.  

It begins about 5 a.m., maybe earlier if you really want to look especially nice. You begin to head to your assigned polling place. You arrive between 5:30-5:45 a.m. (or so). Your day begins as you help your fellow workers, both Democrat and Republican, to make sure the voting place is set up correctly with all appropriate signs hung up, flags set up outside, voting machines set up and ready to go. Hopefully, one of the workers had the sense to bring a coffee maker to help everyone make it through the day. 

Appropriate forms are signed and then all repeat their vow to make sure this is a fair and honest election.  I will repeat, a fair and honest election. In the midst of all this is the person who has taken on the job of being the building location manager of a particular polling place. As I have observed them, they spend the day reading and rereading all the protocols that are to be followed during the day. If there is a question they can not answer, they call back to the Board of Elections to get clarifications. This position carries many responsibilities and they are always very serious about the job before them.  Doors open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.  Then the workers have to validate the numbers on the machines with the paper ballots that have been gathered. Then, once again, Democrats and Republicans work together to make sure everything has been gathered up and put away appropriately. On a good day, a worker might be home by 8 p.m. Usually it is after that.

This procedure, or something like it, is done all over the United States of America. We have fair and honest elections. Everything is done to make sure all goes by the book. Are there mistakes? I am sure there are a few. A few. Enough to change results of the elections? Absolutely not. The worst thing anyone can do is make you doubt the results of an election. The worst thing. I am tired of the rhetoric. I am tired of the blaming. I am tired of being threatened. I am tired of anyone who had the audacity to spread doubt about the results of our elections.  We don’t need the “Save America Act.” We need to vote!

Terry Plas 

Van Wert