By Rita Lord and Anita Weier
Northside News
We talked to four Northsiders who are also election officials (poll workers) about their experiences during the challenging April 7 Spring Election. Their comments demonstrate their extraordinary dedication to this vital part of our democracy.
James Giese, an employee at Wispact, Inc., volunteered to work at the polls for the first time April 7. He was assigned to the Lakeview Library polling site. Giese praised Chief Inspector Pete LeMay and other volunteers who guided him through the various procedures. “I ended up doing absentee voting all day, which I loved because I really felt like I was helping many people to vote,” he said.
He was impressed by the procedures implemented to make the process safe for workers and voters: sanitizing surfaces and pens, social distancing for folks standing in line. Plexiglas shields at poll book tables. “We even had one volunteer wiping down surfaces and door handles and making sure voters maintained six-foot social distancing — we had this marked on the floor.”
“We had steady traffic throughout the day and quite a few curbside voters. We had one individual in a wheelchair and we were able to accommodate him. So good to see we were a readily accessible polling place that was as safe as we could make it,” Giese said. “I hope like heck no one got sick.”
Giese noted that he will be volunteering to work the polls at every election this year. “This sounds a little hyperbolic, but it was one of the most inspiring events of my life to see so many people coming out to vote.”
Mike Ely, a retired state employee, has worked at the polls for 15 years. On April 7 he was assigned to Black Hawk Middle School near his home. Asked about working during the coronavirus pandemic, he said, “I felt like it was a duty and a responsibility. I decided to take the risk, but I do think it would have been prudent to postpone the election.”
He noted that only two of the poll workers who regularly staff the Black Hawk polling site were there. “Many of the new workers were young people, including some university students,”
He praised the city clerk’s office for the precautions taken at the polling place. “There were X’s on the floor 6 feet apart and Plexiglas shields in front of and between poll workers. I wore a face mask and they had sanitizer and gloves for us. We never touched the IDs. Voters used a city pen that they dropped in a box after signing the poll book, and a worker periodically sanitized them, as well as sanitizing the voting booths,” Ely said.
Poll workers processed more absentee ballots than usual, but there was still a high turnout at Black Hawk, he noted. “Some who came in to vote said they had not received their absentee ballots,” Ely added.
Since 2008, Pranee Sheskey has been working as an election official in various polling places throughout the City of Madison and in all capacities. In 2014, she became a chief inspector; and in 2017, she was assigned to manage a polling place at Warner Park Community Recreation Center.
For the April 7 election, that site was relocated to the Warner Park Shelter due to COVID-19 and the need for the center to house 225 homeless people.
Sheskey described this Election Day as challenging. “Although the facility was small, we were able to make do with what we had. The biggest challenge was providing on-the-job training, with limited time and resources, to the first-time election officials so they could perform as many duties as possible,” Sheskey said. “We had a few second-timers and a few regulars; but all had to be trained due to short notice of changes of the laws and procedures.” Sheskey estimated about 50% of scheduled election officials did show up to work on Election Day.
“To those of you that showed up,” she stated, “I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your hard work, attentiveness, understanding and working with me cooperatively. You are much appreciated. I apologize for the little time I had with you and not being able to get to know you on a personal basis because of the situation. I look forward to your return at the next election.”
Sheskey noted a steady stream of in-person and curbside voters, as well as a large increase in the number of absentee ballots. “We were there from 6 am to 10 pm and would have been there much later if we had to tally all the votes. The final tally was postponed to April 13 due to extension for absentee ballots.” Despite the hurdles, Sheskey said the day went well and she appreciates the dedicated people who came and worked under difficult circumstances. “Voting is so vitally important,” she said, “and that’s the reason I do this.”
Kathlean Wolf became a poll worker in 2014, working at the Lakeview Library. “Working the polls is the one time I truly feel patriotic. Everything else in government and politics makes me horribly cynical, but this is my antidote: I get to help make sure that every eligible voter who enters our polling place gets to cast their vote, in accordance with their opinions and beliefs.” Wolf believes the election should have been postponed because “there’s another issue on top of the problem of transmission at the polls.”
“We usually have about 9‒12 people working to move voters through as efficiently as we can, ensuring that every one of them not only gets to cast their vote, but also working at making it a quick and enjoyable experience. We also register new voters and try to make sure that goes smoothly as well,” she said. “But in this election, our most experienced election officials, many of them elderly, were the ones who needed to stay home to protect their health. On top of that, I was one of three who became sick with suspected COVID-19 within days of the election. At the last minute, our slots were filled by brave new volunteers; but with so few experienced workers left there was no guarantee they’d have instant backup if they ran into a problem. Not only does that slow things down; it also increases the chance that errors could occur.”