Election Day Poll Sites Report
Keen Berger with constituents at Judson Church
District Leader Keen Berger, as is her usual habit, visited all seventeen 66th Assembly District, Part A poll sites on election day. Not only did she engender lots of good will for herself and VID but she also wrote her usual thorough report concerning what went right and what needs to be improved at our poll sites in order to have a better election process. Below you will find a summary of Keen’s report. As you can see it is well thought out and thorough. If the powers to be would only listen to Keen! Bravo Keen for a job well done.
Tony Hoffmann
President, VID
The Good…and the Not-So-Good
Good:
- The new signs are big and beautiful and make it clearer than ever which Election District is where. Thanks to whoever took on this task.
- There was a coordinator for all poll sites…a great improvement from two years ago.
- A million people voted.
- Focus on Smooth Election – Virtually all the workers, coordinators, monitors, district leaders seemed to be trying their best to have a good election.
Not Good:
- Too few workers. At all poll sites, coordinators complained about no-shows. Some coordinators called in and got standbys, some called in and were told all the workers had been dispatched or sent home, and some made do with small staff
- Site layout. Many coordinators complained that the site map they got from Board of Elections was unworkable. Causing anger, disruption, frustration. This was the major dispute between coordinators and Assembly District monitors. More leeway for site coordinators would help.
- Opposing priorities. Many site coordinators, Assembly District monitors, and workers, and voters feel that the Board of Elections personnel, lawyers, and Commissioners need real life experience managing poll sites. Commissioners work the poll sites.
- Voter cards. Voter cards are no longer needed now that a paper ballot is given to each approved voter; this additional step causes long lines. Though workers were told in classes that they would not be used, they appeared and were required, anyway.
- Hours – it is cruel to expect people to work for 18 hours (from 5 am to 11pm).
- Training: Training still omits key information and it is pedagogically unsound.