Public service at the polls: A defense of election workers
LUKE HENKEL: Throughout the past few weeks, I had the great honor of overseeing this year’s historic election as a poll worker in my hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Over the five days I spent at the polls during early voting and on Election Day, I learned nearly everything there is to know about how an Indiana polling place operates. It was a difficult, tiring, and incredibly rewarding experience that I hope to repeat in many future elections. I walked away with great respect for everyone involved in the electoral process and a deeper appreciation for the integrity of the voting system.
In the various jobs I was assigned at the early voting site and the Election Day vote center where I worked, I had the opportunity to interact (masked and socially distanced) with more than 1,000 Hoosier voters. This high volume of people is indicative of voter turnout across the country: over 100 million Americans voted early or absentee, nearly doubling 2016 numbers. Additionally, while counters are still tallying final Election Day votes, it may be safely assumed that nationwide turnout set a 50-year, maybe even a 100-year record.
Across the country and the political spectrum, Americans recognized the importance of this year’s election and acted on that recognition. This held true anecdotally: I encountered a high number of first-time voters, including middle-aged and even older voters, as well as many who had not voted in 20 or more years. The turnout certainly put some strain on the electoral system — at my early voting location, lines topped out at over five hours long — but did not fundamentally overwhelm it. With the help of poll workers, record numbers of voters in Indianapolis and around the country completed their ballots and sent them onto the next stage of the voting process.
This next stage was the counting of votes, in which I did not participate. Nevertheless, I remain confident — and all available evidence bears this out — that the counters were and are motivated by the same values as the other Indianapolis poll workers with whom I had the pleasure to work: integrity, honesty, and appreciation for democratic expression. For this reason, it causes me a great deal of frustration to see high-ranking political operatives and government officials (up to the President of the United States) baselessly alleging voter and election fraud in order to cast doubt on the outcome of the presidential election.
As one poll worker, I cannot proclaim with certainty that no voter fraud occurred this year. The United States is a big country, and it is certainly possible that a handful of Americans decided to waste significant time and effort on casting a couple of fraudulent votes. However, realistically speaking, voter fraud does not occur on any significant scale in the United States. Moreover, while the 2020 election did see significantly more early and mail-in voting than previous contests, none of the mechanisms introduced this year were entirely novel. Even the most controversial, universal mail-in voting, was used in multiple states prior to 2020. There is no reason to expect voter fraud to have increased dramatically and no evidence that it has.
None of this is to say that American voting systems are perfect. While they do function well after a voter shows up at a polling place with proper registration and identification (as is required in Indiana), the process of getting voters to this point is certainly not made easy. Many improvements can be made to simplify access to the ballot box, especially for poor voters, rural voters, and voters of color. However, these very real criticisms are not relevant to the issue at hand.
Election officials do their jobs with decency, determination, and dignity. They dedicate their valuable time to help facilitate the exercise of democracy, allowing Americans to decide the direction of their country and the leadership of their communities. Those who seek to question poll workers’ motives without a full understanding of the allegations they are pushing ought to reflect on their own commitment to public service before they impugn others’. Poll workers are enablers of American liberties. They do not deserve to be attacked by enablers of American illiberalism.
Luke Henkel is a proud Hoosier from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is studying government in the College and hopes to pursue a career in public service.