A tip of the hat to all the election workers

Thinking of this election, I began to remember the election of 1964.

I was living in San Francisco. It was my first time voting, and not only that, it was my first time serving as an election judge. It made an enormous impression on me, and I remembered how proud I was not just of America, but of all the people who voted at my assigned precinct and all the people who were my fellow poll workers. The polling place was in a garage under one house of a solid block of older three-story buildings. It was a small, two-car space that had been cleaned up and made ready for business by the owner. This was in a somewhat poor neighborhood, mostly Black, white and Asian. We poll workers elected who was going to do what at the voting place and I was elected to whatever the top position was called. I often wondered whether it was because I was young and white, but I will never know. I was then, and am now, grateful to my fellow poll workers for their trust because it gave me the honor and the privilege of delivering the tallied ballots to San Francisco’s City Hall, which had a big dome and was about as big as Montana’s Capitol building.

I left the polling place at about 9 at night with the official papers tucked under my arm and took a city bus down to City Hall which seemed strangely empty and quiet, sort of church-like, and delivered them to the proper office. I remember feeling very proud, very much a part of the process of democracy and very responsible. I remember how carefully we did the initial tally of the ballots in the small garage, how well we got along, and how proud we all seemed to be in exercising our responsibility. It has colored my lifelong trust and confidence in our voting system.

In Trout Creek, we voted at the school. I almost always voted in person because it seemed so much like a community event. We all knew each other and visited as we stood in line. Shirley McLinden would be the first poll worker. She would make a mark next to our names and hand us over to Linda Kiester who would give us our ballots. The voting process changed over the years and when we were first required to show picture identification I remember laughing when Shirley said, “Hi Jim, could I please see your ID?”

I remember one clerk and recorder originally being against mail-in ballots and then a couple of years later being for them. I never doubted the honesty of the people who ran the elections even if they were of the opposite party. Then, in the 2020 election, they seemed to be the most distrusted people in America because of the false claims of ballot manipulation. I hope those days are ending.

In my 25 or so years in Montana politics, 16 in the Legislature, I have worked with many elections officials and trusted all of them to follow the laws impartially. I appreciate the work they all do. Many people are suspicious of public workers having a political bias that they take into their on-the-job decision making. I have found that to be very, very, rare—non-existent, even.

So now, having cast my ballot in my umptieth election, I want to thank all the election administrators, all the poll workers and watchers, and not least, all the voters who safeguard our American democracy.

My hat is off to you.