Election Inspector

Election Inspector

Lolo22

Haverstraw, NY

Female, 53

I was an inspector at the polls for the 2012 presidential election. It was our job to set up the polling place, verify voters' eligibility, and make sure all ballots were accounted for. Ask me anything.

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19 Questions

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Last Answer on February 18, 2013

Best Rated

Did working at a polling place make you feel particularly patriotic, or did it just feel like regular work?

Asked by abadabadoo over 11 years ago

It definitely felt like work. I was there to do a job and did it to the best of my ability like I would have with any job. .

Do you think you can, for the most part, accurately guess who's voting for who, based on appearance alone?

Asked by Chrissy VT over 11 years ago

No. I was at a location that is probably among the most diverse in my state. It was a fairly even breakdown of male/female as well as being racially diverse. Some people told me who they were going to vote for (I would ask them not to tell me or told them that I didn't need to know) and some asked me how to vote for their candidate (I couldn't tell them). None of them surprised me no matter which way it went.

Did fights break out at your polling place? What are you trained to do if that happens?

Asked by Elf123 over 11 years ago

No, we had no fights. We were told not to intervene in a fight but to call the police. Most of the election inspectors are older so that is the only thing they could do anyway.

What was the most difficult situation you ran into with a voter? Seemed like a lot of tempers were really flaring this year...

Asked by Mellie over 11 years ago

I had no problems at my polling place. I think most people just wanted to get in and out.

Had you ever done this job before the 2012 election? Has it inspired you to work in other areas of government/politics? Or is this just a once-ever-4-yrs kinda thing for you?

Asked by Curious Jorge over 11 years ago

This was my first time working at the polls. I would do it every year but no, I have no interest in working in politics.

I heard about that woman who got fired for tampering with the votes. Do you think a lot of vote tampering goes on that we're not aware of?

Asked by J.S.B. over 11 years ago

I'm not sure if a lot of that goes on. I didn't see any of that where I was.

Who actually handles the final tally of votes? Is it an independent accounting company (like Ernst & Young), or is it done by poll employees like yourself?

Asked by brickbreak2012 over 11 years ago

The final tally is done back at the Board of Elections headquarters. It is done by permanent employees of the Board who are members of both parties. The poll workers are really just there for a day. We turn everything over to them.