Cambridge Chronicle

To the polls, citizens!
By Dawn Witlin/ Chronicle Staff
Thursday, August 24, 2006

On Election Day, voting sites around the country don't have enough poll workers.

But not in Cambridge.

Last Tuesday, a sneak preview of the PBS documentary "By the People" was held at the Kendall Square Cinema. The 90-minute film profiles challenges faced by voters and election workers nationwide.

The film reports that during the presidential election, the nation suffered an estimated shortage of 500,000 poll workers.

According to a 2004 MIT/Caltech study, Massachusetts must recruit more than 12,000 workers for each statewide election.

However, Cambridge Election Commission Director Marsha Weinerman said Cambridge is brimming with election workers.

"We're working on the Sept. 19th primary as far as the poll worker issue, we have a sufficient pool," said Weinerman. "Aside from the pool that we have, when we send out the annual census there is a pullout, so we have another source of interested people."

Poll workers do jobs such as assisting disabled persons who cannot read a ballot for themselves; communicating with the election office if a person's name is not on the voting list; and instructing voters what to do if they accidentally punch the wrong bubble or vote "yes" when they meant to vote "no."

Weinerman also contributes Cambridge's full election worker quota to the fact that an hourly wage of $12 to $14 is paid to those manning the polls on election day.

"By the People" is an important film because it shows the entire election process, said Weinerman, who attended the screening.

"The film highlights how just how detailed and how much work is involved in an election process," said Weinerman. "There a nice sense of humor, and it really focuses on the people that elections really rely on."

- dwitlin@cnc.com

Want to become an election worker? Contact the Election Commission at 617-349-4361.