VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Poll workers in Central New York make Election Day possible
Tommy Armstrong: Before most people are even awake, election day starts early for poll workers and is an all day affair for those like Terry Ettinger.
Terry Ettinger: We’re here at five o’clock in the morning and we don’t leave until 10 o’clock at night, an hour or so after the polls close.
Armstrong: Ettinger says it’s his civil duty that called him back for a second year – and the reaction from serving his community.
Ettinger: No one that comes to vote is in a bad mood, they all say thank you for doing this. Which as a first timer was very surprising.
Armstrong: Even candidates like Rob Santucci, running for Cicero supervisor, still appreciates what poll workers do because he once did it himself.
Rob Santucci: I used to be a poll site worker just like these people are here and one of the things that I always liked was that a candidate would come in with food. And I always said if I ran as a candidate, I would do the same thing. So I bought cookies for everybody and I’m going to pass them on out.
Armstrong: That’s just Santucci’s way of giving back because it’s the workers that help make election day possible.
Santucci: It’s empowering because at the end of the day you know you played a small role but an important roll in recording our election results which is the base of our democracy.
Armstrong: From before sun up to the late night, it’s a long day for poll workers – but one that keeps democracy moving one ballot at a time. Tommy Armstrong, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Before the sun is up, the poll workers at Bellewood Baptist Church start Election Day much earlier than the voters. While most voters walk into their polling place for just a few minutes, the people running the site put in an entire day’s work to make it happen.
“We’re here at 5 o’clock in the morning and we don’t leave until 10 o’clock at night because of all the processes we have to go through to make sure the votes are properly tabulated to go back to a central location,” Terry Etinnger said.
Ettinger is a second-year poll worker who makes it his part of his responsibility to facilitate the voting process for his community.
“We take it sort of as our public duty, to make sure that all our neighbors have the right to cast their vote,” Ettinger said.
Despite the long hours, Ettinger feels the appreciation from the voters that makes it worth it.
“There’s no one that is not happy to vote. They all say thank you for doing this. As a first year poll worker last year that was something that really surprised me,” Ettinger said.
Among those stopping by the polling site was Rob Santucci, the Cicero Town Chair and a candidate for town supervisor. Santucci went above and beyond to show his appreciation for the workers, inspired by his own time volunteering at the polls.
“I used to be a poll site worker just like these guys here. Sometimes a candidate would bring in food and we loved it,” Santucci said.
Santucci brought an extra treat for the workers in his first time as a candidate on the ballot.
“I brought cookies for everyone. I got smiles and thumbs up when I dropped them off,” Santucci said.
It’s important for Santucci to show gratitude for the workers, knowing the importance they have to the community firsthand.
“You’re literally counting the votes of the people. It’s empowering because you know you played a small but important role in recording our election results, which is the base of our democracy,” said Ettinger.
It’s a full team effort to accomplish a long Election Day. With the help of those who work at the polls, the voting process and privilege is ensured.