JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are five Florida counties on the First Coast that begin in-person early voting Monday. That means hundreds of poll workers will be putting in long hours to make sure those locations are safe and secure.
Duties of these poll workers range from safeguarding the dropbox to checking precinct rosters and instructing voters how to place their ballot into precinct scanners.
The On Your Side team spoke with Duval County Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan about the service workers provide, something that caused the normally stoic Hogan to take pause.
"They love their country," Hogan said before taking a moment. "Some of them [say] ‘are you kidding, COVID is not going to keep me away.”'
The On Your Side team also spoke to election officials in Clay and St. Johns counties who, like Hogan, explained they saw more people interested in working during the election. Clay County officials said they had a 10-percent overage to the point where spots to work ran out.
Poll workers are trained and abide by rules put in place by the state. Workers only interact with voters when it’s necessary and can be the first people to report to if there is any intimidation.
If you feel like you’re being harassed by anyone while trying to cast your vote, tell a poll worker or onsite precinct manager.