Meet the Poll Workers Who Made Election Day in the Bay Area Possible

California may have mailed all voters a ballot, but a lot of people still chose to cast their vote in person. And thousands of people worked long hours to make sure voters could do just that.

Today, we’re bringing you the stories of two poll volunteers from different corners of the Bay Area, who spoke to The Bay podcast before, during and after their shifts. Listen to the full audio to also hear the story of 16-year-old Ronak Chakraborty, who volunteered to work the polls in San Ramon but found his hopes thwarted by circumstances.

Amy Mar, poll volunteer in Hayward

Before working the polls

It’s my second time [volunteering.] In 2016, I wanted to be a part of history because I thought we would have a different outcome. This time, I feel like I still want to be part of history, but I absolutely have to do this — because I need to keep busy, or else I think I’m going to cry.

I was really surprised at how many old classmates I would run into [volunteering at the polls.] … That’s really nice and heartwarming. We need more of that happy, fuzzy feeling. So I’m going to grab it while I can. 

We can’t have our cellphones on us. There’s not going to be any TV. During the training, they said none of the tech that we’ll be using is connected to any Wi-Fi, so I’m going to try and stay Internet pure, I guess.

After working the polls

I haven’t done these hours since college! Ninety percent of the people that were [at the polls] were great. We even had some kids, even though they told you not to bring your kids. There were maybe three total people that came in without masks.

I still think of the people that I worked with in 2016, and how quirky they were. They’re always quirky. I mean, maybe I’m quirky, but…

It takes a certain someone to want to work 16 hours a day with total strangers during a pandemic. I think they’re the same people that return shopping carts … in the spot where they’re supposed to be, and not in the little curb where the sickly tree is, in a parking spot.

Thuc Nguyen, poll volunteer in San Jose

Before working the polls:

When I became a citizen, I took it very seriously. I don’t skip an election. And to be there, to be able to help people to give them a pleasant experience voting, that to me is just icing on the cake.

I’ve been engaged in discussions about Donald Trump and the presidency and the last four years. But particularly, what really got me fired up about this thing is the separation of children at the border from their parents.

I was reading an article and they were talking about how there may be a staff shortage because older folks who usually volunteer at the polls may not come because of the coronavirus. So I added my name to the list toward the end of August.

The folks here actually moved things around to add me to the training [because Nguyen speaks Vietnamese and English], and I’m glad I was able to join because on Saturday, half of the time, I was just translating helping people with the application, with the ballot and just translating work.

I’m feeling thankful for the opportunity. I would rather be here than at home watching the news, waiting for the results.

After working the polls:

I’m so exhausted. I was standing pretty much all day, running in and out.

The good thing is that it was so busy. Time flew by so quickly. But some people waited almost two hours. Toward the end of the day, it was like 300 people waiting outside. So I felt pretty bad about it. We could have done more, but because of the coronavirus protocols, we couldn’t let too many people inside at that time.

Everyone was happy, excited to be able to vote. Toward the end of the day, they kind of put together a show. There was music, there was food and drink and people celebrating after voting. So it was very festive.

I know there’s a lot of people who voted for the first time. They just walked in. We had to register them, and they got to vote. I was impressed with how many older people just showed up wanting to vote … they were in their 70s and 80s, and voting for the first time. I would say it’s an honor to be able to help them vote for the first time.

As long as they give me an opportunity to [volunteer], I’ll take it and I’ll do it every election from now on.