WASHINGTON — When the story of this election is finally written, I would hope there is a chapter devoted to the unsung men and women who make up the backbone of our election process. A volunteer army of public servants is manning the front lines of democracy, dedicated to one job: Making sure your voting experience is as smooth as possible.
Election officials -- clerks, judges, and poll workers.
There is not enough praise, nor thanks, that can be given to these people. They've been handing out sample ballets, checking voters in, making sure they are in the right place or showing them how to use the machinery. Without them, none of this happens.
Working in shifts, they’re there to turn the lights on in the morning and shut them off after the last ballot has been cast. They answer our questions with smiles on their faces, pointing us in the right direction. They spend hours on their feet, shepherding us along. And they surely don’t do it for the money.
In elections past, it's been our older folks who have stepped up to do the job. Retirees with time on their hands and a willingness to help in their spirit. But, being in the middle of a pandemic that they are especially vulnerable to, a new generation of workers has come off the bench to check into the game.
This being a particularly tense election, they’ve had to deal with a lot. We’re a few days past the election, but it’s not over for them.
While we’ve been asleep or checking Twitter, they’ve been hard at work counting the votes and trying to make sure our individual voices are all heard. They’ve done this even as demands are made that they stand down and walk away from the job. They didn't let anything faze them, they just kept at the work, and in the process, kept our democracy flowing.
We will get to the end of this. A winner will be declared, and the country will attempt to move on.
It’s these selfless individuals who will have made it possible. I’m here to give you your flowers, along with my salute, and my thank you.