I’ve been running a local polling place since I saw the carnage of the 2000 election in Ohio firsthand as an official party observer. It’s been alternatively amazing and boring over the years. It’s also been something I’m very proud to have done, even though I had to take vacation time from a demanding job to make it work.
But I’ve finally taken a hard look at the Ohio Secretary of State policy directive on voting. They frame the question of a voter’s positive Covid status as a pre-voting test. As a result, Ohio’s Secretary of State is insisting that all voters must be allowed to vote just as usual at their regular polling place. From my perspective, the potential danger to me and my fellow poll workers absolutely sucks. I would like to see special accommodations made to serve Covid positive voters, but that’s not happening either. No one is actively publicizing the state policy, in case it frightens voters- or perhaps embarrasses the state officials who wrote this craptastic mess.
For our county, that SOS directive has been interpreted to mean the following. Poll workers cannot insist that voters wear a mask. They must allow symptomatic Covid positive voters to enter the polling place with no masks, if they refuse to accept the offer of curbside voting from their car. Poll workers will have access to some PPE, but no direct training on how to use it safely. And it’s likely that the poll workers will not be allowed to ask anyone what their Covid status is, if the voter doesn’t specifically volunteer that information.
I know that they over hired the number of poll workers for extra help in managing the newly socially distant setup. The election officials were also aware of the likelihood that some workers wouldn’t show up, or might just quit when faced with the reality of the Covid polling place setup.
So my dilemma is pretty much an old rock song- “Should I stay or should I go?” I’m middle aged, with mild asthma, diabetes and a few other minor health issues. I’m a long time poll manager with skills that are needed. I know that I will not help curbside voters since they are more likely to be openly symptomatic. I’ve got a P100 grade respirator kit that I’ve been saving for an emergency, so that’s something that could help protect me. But I’m also really angry that my county election officials have been so damn squirrelly about their implementation of this ridiculous policy. I’ve been working full time on election stuff for weeks, so I’ve more than done my part. But I really hate abandoning my regular voters and my longtime poll workers, so I’m throwing this out there- should I stay or should I go?