Poll workers get an inside look at elections system

Most people who serve as jurors come away with new or renewed appreciation for our justice system. On the whole, they witness competent and dedicated defense counsel, prosecutors and judges. They deliberate with fellow jurors doing their best to follow instructions in weighing evidence in search of a just verdict.

Similarly, most people who serve as poll workers develop respect for our elections system. In a few hours of training, they come to appreciate the layers of checks and balances to ensure integrity. On Election Day, they meet fellow poll workers — half Democrats, half Republicans — equally dedicated to following the rules and getting things right.

Despite best efforts, our justice and elections systems always will have their challenges. One of them, though, should be entirely fixable — the reluctance of many citizens to serve.

From the start, our nation’s most thoughtful leaders have observed that the biggest threat to democracy is an uneducated, uninvolved citizenry. “The greatest menace to freedom is an inert people,” wrote U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in a 1927 opinion.

The integrity of America’s elections depends on the willingness of more than 900,000 civic-minded people to work 15-hour days at nearly 117,000 polling places — about eight workers per location. For low pay. In Franklin County, it’s $148.72.

Half of the nation’s county boards of elections cite difficulties recruiting enough workers, reports the U.S. Elections Administration Commission.

The urgent need is partly due to aging. Nearly a quarter of poll workers are over 70; and more than half are over 60, but most of the seniors are veterans of many elections and therefore make able tutors for newcomers.

But there are never enough. “We constantly work to identify new and creative ways to recruit poll workers,” said Ed Leonard, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections.

At present, the board is trying to fill 3,255 slots at 365 locations for the May 8 primary. After that, it will seek nearly 4,000 commitments for the Nov. 6 general election.

Fortunately, Franklin County has benefited from innovative programs to produce more poll workers. One is Youth at the Booth, managed by Kids Voting of Central Ohio. Through partnerships with area high schools, this program since 2006 has enabled more than 15,000 students to work the polls. Another is Champions of Democracy, a partnership with area employers including AEP, COTA, Motorists Mutual and Franklin County government to allow workers to take a day off to staff the polls without missing a day’s pay.

Besides the satisfaction of helping make democracy work, another benefit of working the polls is gaining first-hand knowledge of how well the system really works. In an era of demagoguery about voter fraud, poll workers know better.

In Ohio’s three most recent statewide elections, in which nearly 14.4 million voters went to the polls, there were only 126 improperly cast ballots — most of them the result of honest mistakes, according to research by Secretary of State Jon Husted. Only eight people warranted prosecution.

It’s a proud record worth preserving — but only possible with more poll workers. To become one, start at vote.franklincountyohio.gov or call 614-525-5393.