i’m not entirely sure where to start. i knew throughout my entire 16.5-hour shift that i wanted to write about the experience, and even though the result didn’t surprise me it still knocked me out for a few days and i needed some time to recover. but the whole point was to share my experience as a new york city election day poll worker and so here we are.

i have always been interested in being a poll worker, but until this year it hadn’t worked out. i always had a full time job or didn’t live in the country or was in school in a different state or tennessee never responded to my request, but this year was my year. i signed up on the board of elections website, and although the in-person trainings filled up before i could snag a spot they luckily allowed you to complete the training online which i did the week before the election. and on sunday, november 3, i got the email confirming my assignment and began mentally preparing myself for the long shift.

polls in new york city are open from 6am-9pm, so the shift starts at 5am and goes until the polls close and everything in your location is broken down and cleaned up. my assignment was luckily only a 10-minute walk from my apartment, so i didn’t have to worry about getting to a far-away neighborhood in the super early morning hours. i got there right as they were opening the door for us and waited for my assignment — eventually the coordinator sent me to one of the check-in tables where i met the lady who was in charge of that table and started to get the lay of the land.

we had four people working at our table, so once we got everything set up we took turns working each aspect of the check in process so we could get experience with all of it. my favorite part was checking people in as they arrived and learning how to troubleshoot the various issues that arose — it took me back to my days working bridge builders parent orientations and summer conferences and it felt so seamless to tap into those skills again.

and that’s what we did, for 16 hours. we greeted people when they arrived, we checked them in, we gave them their ballots and explained the process, we answered questions and helped each other out as needed. we each got two hourlong breaks [one of which i used to run over to my polling place about 20 blocks away and cast my vote], but otherwise we were at our table ready for whatever came our way.

overall it was a great experience. it was so cool to see the process from start to finish and to be able to answer people’s questions. we had a few first-time voters at my table, including two newly-minted 18-year-olds and a woman in her 30s who had moved to the u.s. and was getting to participate for the first time. the mother of one of the 18-year-old voters told me how much she tells her son that his vote is his power and the privilege and the importance of using his voice to vote for those in his community who don’t have the ability. those moments were really cool, and i loved getting to be a part of their days.

we also had a fair bit of trouble that needed to be worked through. we had people who hadn’t voted in years and so were listed as inactive in our records. we had people who had moved into the neighborhood but who hadn’t yet updated their registration. we had a few who had registered late and so we had to verify their information. there was another polling place across the street from us, and occasionally we had to point people over there. we had some who had requested mail-in ballots but who then decided to vote in person, which requires an affidavit ballot in nyc.

some aspects ran smoother than others, but on the whole i’m really glad i did it and hope i am able to do it again in the future [hello, 2025 nyc mayoral race]. it was especially good at keeping me distracted throughout the day and early evening, and by the time i got home at 10pm i had just enough energy to eat something, watch a few episodes of schitt’s creek, play a few games on my phone, and go to bed. i was asleep before midnight and slept until 9.30am, a big departure from 2016 and 2020 when i stayed up most of the night doom scrolling and watching msnbc.

if you ever have the opportunity to work as an election day poll worker, i highly recommend it. it’s such an interesting way to be a part of the democratic process, and it keeps you from scrolling your phone for updates. a win-win.

xx