When Mary Wade got an email from Mayor Colin Byrd saying there was a need for election judges on Tuesday, November 3, she was quick to sign up.
The retired Greenbelt resident of 30 years thought volunteering would be fun, and so, at 5:30 a.m. on Election Day, she was at Eleanor Roosevelt High School getting ready for the more than 12-hour day.
“It was a long day,” Wade said. “But we did it. It was like running a marathon.”
Maryland saw a shortage of election volunteers this year, as safety concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic deterred some from helping in person. Some, though, like Wade, decided to make this year their first year volunteering.
Eleanor Roosevelt High School had a steady stream of voters throughout the day, with some lines in the morning. Despite small crowds, the polling place was well equipped for social distancing, with floor markings designating six feet of space and extra masks and hand sanitizer for voters who forgot to bring them.
Wade credits the Prince George’s County Board of Elections for a well-planned and executed election. However, she wishes there were more resources at the polling place for people who have difficulty with walking.
“I admired those individuals who persevered in their effort to vote in person, despite their physical challenges as well as those who came to their assistance,” Wade said. “My suggestion would be to have one or two wheelchairs or walkers with a seat available to offer these people as they enter the building.”
Greenbelt residents Andrea and Corita Waters decided to volunteer at a polling place for the first time this year too, but in York, Pa.
They worked as nonpartisan poll observers for CASA, an organization that supports and advocates for immigrants. The Waters provided masks for voters along with water and candy and helped ensure voter rights were protected.
The Waters chose Pennsylvania because it was projected to be a pivotal state for both candidates and the risk for voter suppression in the state was high. Though no one knew at the time, Pennsylvania would go on to decide the election.
“[Pennsylvania] felt like a nearby place that we could make sure the election process ran smoothly,” Corita said.
Before the Waters arrived to volunteer, though, the polling place was already experiencing an issue: some of the poll workers and election judges sent translators away, resulting in some voters coming out of the polling place in tears, Andrea said. The issue was never officially resolved, but both CASA volunteers and members of the Pennsylvania Democrats reported the situation.
Overall, though, Election Day in York had a distinctly community feel due to the voters who turned out, and the Waters said they would volunteer again if the need is as great as it was this year.
“The need felt extreme this year,” Andrea said. “I feel like I did my part to make sure it was fair.”
Julia Arbutus is a University of Maryland graduate student in journalism.