Behind the Scenes: Those Who Work to Keep Democracy Alive

Polling story
--Aly Dixon

Walking into the polling place at the Tompkins County Public Library located at 101 E. Green Street was a surreal experience. Having never voted in a general election in a polling place, I was giddy and excited for the events of the day to unfold. However, I wondered what actually allowed this process to work; how we can successfully hold elections in a way most countries can't. And although America's voting process has been deeply criticized, it seems it is also one of much envy. Democracy strives in this country, but it is not without the help of the many who are dedicated to the preservation of this very ideal without agenda or prejudice.

Throughout this 2008 campaign for president, we have seen the attention turn to figures with no influence on our ability to vote, from Bill Hiers to Reverend Wright to General Petraeus, to powerful corporations, to influential lobbyists. But we have not seen the real pioneers of democracy, those behind the scenes, those who sacrifice their time and dedication to make sure our democratic process is carried out in the fairest of manners. Election inspectors are examples of these people.



Essentially, the duty of the election inspector is to ensure that all elections are conducted in a fair and impartial manner. Specifically, that are responsible to ensure that all eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote and that the election law is applied uniformly. For each polling place there is at least one republican, and one democrat election inspector to ensure fairness and stability.




As an election inspector, you must be at the specific polling place you are working at a half hour before it opens, in this case Begg and the other inspectors got to the Tompkins County Public Library at six-thirty in the morning. You are required to work the whole day as an inspector. In New York, the polls close at nine p.m., so Begg and the others expected to leave around nine thirty, a long day of work. To Begg's suprise, the wage for the day of service is $160. However, Begg claims the pay previously was below minimum wage.

To serve as an election inspector you must be a registered voter along which a resident of the county in which you wish to work at. You must not be a spouse, child, or parent of a candidate running in the district you will work, and you cannot hold any sort of public elective office or being running for office in the district you are working.

Begg and the other inspectors seemed happy at the outcome of the election during our interview. Begg claimed that well over half of all voters assigned to their polling place had voted by about 4:30 p.m., a statistic that satisfied all of the inspectors.

"We haven't had any real problems yet, and I hope that continues the rest of the day," Begg said.

As someone that prides herself on being politically informed, I was ashamed to realize I knew little to nothing about the duties and responsibilities of election inspectors. There jobs may seem small, insignifcant, or even easy, but the opposite seems true. These people took the time out to help others fulfill their constitutional right, while sacrificing most of their day. They could have been home watching the votes get tallied on CNN, scanning updated articles on the New York Times, despairingly watching Fox News cling to hope, or gleefully watching states become blue, but instead they helped the rest of us realize our own dreams of participating in a democracy that many don't have the privilege of realizing.