6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 31-november 6, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com 831 It’s less than a week away from the Big Day, and perhaps never before have election workers across the country faced such tumultuous times in conducting fair and safe elections, often under intense public scrutiny. Thankfully for Monterey County, the situation is different, says Field Inspector Kevin Hanstick, whose job on Election Day is to oversee poll workers with the Monterey County Elections office. During a poll worker training session on Oct. 17 at CSU Monterey Bay, he addresses a group of about 15-20 trainees who are about to begin a two-and-a-half-hour poll worker training session. He opens with a boisterous “We welcome ALL questions,” emphasizing the importance of transparency to build trust in the election process. The aim: to set the stage for a productive training session that ensures a smooth voting process across the county on Nov. 5. And the voting process in Monterey County, with 914 officers to work across 207 precincts, is indeed a finetuned machine. Approximately 210,293 people in the county are registered to vote, according to data collected by the California Secretary of State’s office. While a majority of people in the county will vote by mail, the rest who decide to vote in person or drop off their ballot at a polling station will likely be greeted by one of these workers. “I have to say, Monterey County has gotten it down very well,” says Lou Richards, a long-time election worker. “I’ve had really good crews over the last five elections I’ve worked here.” At the training session, individuals are methodically walked through how to make sure each ballot went to the correct voter, which is determined by their precinct. They are taught how to assist voters who may accidentally arrive at the wrong precinct, what to do if a ballot is tampered with (which is considered a misdemeanor), and how to assist someone who might be visually impaired or newly registered. “There is no wrong place for a voter,” said Monterey County Elections Program Manager Mary Helen Gallegos during the training session. Ballots can be submitted in a number of ways come Election Day, which workers are trained to handle in a variety of circumstances. Voters can drop them off, they can vote curbside, or they can come in and vote in a polling booth. Each person has a unique identification number in which the elections office records whether or not a registered voter has cast their vote, with options for people to vote in a variety of different languages. The big day is a long one: workers must arrive at 6am and work for about 15 hours. “Be well-rested, hydrated and prepared,” is the mantra reiterated again and again during the training. There are several types of election workers: field inspectors, inspectors and clerks, all varying in degrees of responsibility. “I actually enjoy it. The vast majority of people are very pleasant and make you feel like you’ve contributed something to the neighborhood,” Richards says. Above all (and by law) the task is to ensure that the polling place remains neutral and the process ensures a fair election, which means workers are trained to look out for anyone trying to influence people coming into the polling place to vote. Electioneering—where political groups try to persuade voters to support or oppose particular candidates, parties or issues—is something poll workers are specifically trained to mitigate. Their role is to preserve the neutral zone at the polling site, which includes ensuring that campaign signs remain a certain distance away and that no political paraphernalia, such as buttons or hats, is brought inside. Rare, but possible, they may need to de-escalate and respond to a threatening situation—also part of the day’s training for potential scenarios. “We’re here to help the voter vote a ballot that has every opportunity to count. You can use the instructions and these tools to do that. Anything outside those processes, there’s help to guide you through that,” Gallegos said. Trust the Process In a time of intense scrutiny, poll workers get training to ensure the election is fair and safe. By Katie Rodriguez Mary Helen Gallegos, elections program manager for Monterey County, leads a training session for poll workers on Thursday, Oct. 17 at CSU Monterey Bay. “Be well-rested, hydrated and prepared.” tALeS From tHe AreA coDe DANIEL DREIFUSS The Chamber Promotes We are promoters, seeking to raise awareness of our members through marketing opportunities in our Chamber Connection, Member2Member news, our social media pages, and our member referral program. If you're looking for a platform to initiate important conversations and grow your business, we invite you to join our business association on the Monterey Peninsula! Join Today! • montereychamber.com • info@montereychamber.com • 831.648.5350
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