By Tenley L. Drescher-Rhoades, Government Practice Section Executive Committee
In Indiana, weary election officials and voters get a reprieve once every four years the year after a presidential election and there are no elections held in the state. Today, November 2, would be Election Day if elections were being held this year, but, mercifully, they aren't. Undeterred by the facts, however, this former election administrator could not pass up the opportunity to talk about the election administration process.
Wait, don't run away! This isn't a political discussion: 1. That would be frowned upon in this forum and I don’t want to be banished from the IndyBar; and 2. We all need to enjoy the (relative) silence on this would-be Election Day. Regardless of your political persuasion, I'm sure we can all agree that the next 365-ish days are going to be a doozy.
Instead, I want to put in a plug for each and every one of the no-doubt thousands who read this blog to consider taking part in the election administration process. I can say without a hesitation that every single person who is reading this would be a desperately needed asset to your local election administrator. If you haven't volunteered to be a poll worker in the past, please make 2022 the year that you start your service.
As lawyers, we are each uniquely able to assist the election process by being experts at receiving, processing and implementing complicated rules and procedures, and we can apply those skills to the many election laws - the code book is more than 600 pages - that a poll worker must observe and administer on Election Day. Thinking on our feet and problem solving are a part of the job, you say? Well, who better than an attorney (and an attorney with an appreciation and interest in government at that) to join the team?
Many of our poll workers are faithful and dutiful stalwarts who show up each and every year. The day is long (around 14 hours including prep and wrap up) and, shall we say, less than thankless. But unless you’ve been living under a rock (if so, I’m jealous), you know that there is an unprecedented amount of discourse on election administration and that could result in more technical and intense Election Days for our poll workers. In Marion County, for example, we need around 2,500 Election Day workers (poll workers and absentee counters, etc.), and it’s common for many of those workers to be eligible for Social Security. In the 2020 General Election, Marion County processed 215,000+ absentee ballots in the days following Election Day.
It’s hard to tell what 2022 will bring in an off-cycle election that I desperately hope is not held during a pandemic, but I do know that It’s time for those of us with a few less trips around the sun to step up and take an active role in our democratic process. The lawyers of the IndyBar, who depend each and every day on the proper functioning of the three branches of government and the elected officials who run them for our very livelihood, could and should be involved in hard work of administering this most sacred ritual of democracy.
To be a pollworker in Marion County, contact:
Michele Miller (317) 327-5096
Marion County
For counties other than Marion:
Boone County
Hamilton County
Hancock County
Hendricks County
Johnson County
Morgan County
Shelby County
If you would like to submit content or write an article for the Government Practice Section, please email Kara Sikorski at ksikorski@indybar.org.
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