Proud to be an election worker

In 2008, when I first started working for the Clark County Election Department, I had no idea how the department operated; the only thing I knew was what I did as a voter.

I recall my first time voting in Clark County fondly. My wife, Jayne, and I registered to vote when we moved to Nevada in 2004. It was a presidential election year, and the lines were long. Despite the lines, it was a pleasant experience.

After verifying that we were eligible to vote, the workers at our polling location stopped what they were doing and announced that we were first-time voters in Clark County. The other poll workers cheered. This is a tradition that many poll workers still engage in today. It is not required, but they do it because they’re proud to serve all those who are eligible to vote.

I cannot explain just how proud Jayne and I were of being part of this process. In that moment, I knew that someday Jayne and I would become part of this great group of workers. Four years after that, I signed up.

Now, more than 15 years since I first became an election worker, I still love the work we do at the Election Department, and I think it’s important for people to understand the work we do behind the scenes. I also hope to convey that the people running elections are your friends and neighbors. We work hard to ensure voters’ voices are heard.

Poll workers work long days, and they don’t complain. They see election time as an opportunity to become part of an extended family. They bring in extra food to share with their coworkers; they support each other. If someone is having a problem looking up voters’ names, they help. They work as a team to make sure all eligible voters get the opportunity to vote.

In training they’re told that they must be nonpartisan and to treat every voter with respect, even if they are not getting it in return. Every site has people available to assist poll workers if problems arise. At the end of the day, they are all enormously proud of what they’ve accomplished — and they should be.

I’m proud to have had the opportunity to be a part of the election process in Clark County. We train over 3,000 people to manage various positions. The training is anywhere from four hours to a day and a half. This requires a commitment of time that they’re all willing to make. They all go out there knowing how to serve the voters. I’ve found that most poll workers look forward to coming back for the next election.

With all of this in mind, it saddens me that there are some people throughout this nation who have become convinced that election departments and their poll workers are out there to cheat them out of their vote. Again, most poll workers are your neighbors, friends or family members, working to make sure you’re able to cast your ballot.

In this election year, as a poll worker, I want to stress something: We need to show every voter who is interested in our election process just how secure and dependable it is — we need to bring back trust. Any voter who has any doubts about this should contact their election department and make an inquiry about how the process works. Additionally, people should consider working temporarily for their election department so they can be part of this important process during a historic election.

Lastly, I want to stress how immensely proud I am to help voters and of the critical work election departments do to help keep our democracy running. I’m proud to be an election worker.

 

Ken Hamm is an election worker and trainer for the Clark County Elections Department and member of Faces of Democracy, a campaign that aims to strengthen critical election infrastructure, bolster protections for election workers, and build trust in our system of free and fair elections.