by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland wants to make real sure no one doesn’t get to cast a ballot Nov. 7. Early voting starts Monday. Absentee ballots have been mailed out. And, adequate Republican and Democratic ballots have been printed.
However, over the past year Holland has moved, combined or created 63 precincts and despite that not being a problem during the Sept. 5 primary, Holland still envisions the following scenario:
Joe Voter shows up to the church he’s been voting at for 20 years. It’s an hour before the polls close and the doors are locked. Joe Voter, not sure where to go, leaves. The next day, Holland gets a phone call from an angry Joe Voter.
“The biggest tragedy would be for someone to show up at the polling location, close to closing, and then they can’t find the new one,” said Holland.
Several steps have been taken to inform voters of the new locations including mailouts, public notices and news releases. The final piece — and the one Holland hopes assures every registered voter makes it to the polls — is to place a laptop savvy citizen at each of the 63 former polling locations around town to help Joe Voter find the new location.
“This is our final checkpoint,” said Holland. “We don’t want to lose a voter.”
Each worker will be paid $150 for the day, which begins at 7 a.m. and wraps up at 7 p.m. The former polling locations are scattered all over town and Holland admits some will be busier than others.
“Without a doubt,” said Holland. “Some will not see anybody, some will see a lot of people. They can bring books and magazines and they will be equipped to stay all day.”
Each citizen poll worker will be joined by another worker and those two will staff the location all 12 hours the polls are open.
So far, 143 people have signed up. Although only 126 are needed, Elections Office officials said they are figuring in no-shows and those that will cancel at the last minute. Those that do work will go through a 30-minute training session. Holland said they will be considered temporary City employees and all of them will be given 1099 forms to file with the IRS.
“We do not deduct taxes, that’s up to them to pay,” said Holland. “We are not paying them over $600 a year.”
Holland said the plan to staff former polling locations is one more way to assure the general election goes off without any glitches.
“We hope so. We look at it (the election) every day and say, ‘is this something we need to look at,’” said Holland.
The primary produced a turnout of about 18 percent and Holland is expecting much better numbers in less than three weeks when voters head to the polls to elect a new governor, judges, state representatives and many others. Also on the local ballot will be the Cecil Field straw poll in which voters will be asked if the City should look seriously at the Navy’s possible return to Cecil Field.
The debate — which would revert Cecil Commerce Center back to a master jet base — has been raging for several months and has spurred reaction from both sides. It has even been to court where an appeals court ruled the straw poll had to be on the printed ballot for the Nov. 7 election.
“The turnout is normally doubled in the primary election,” said Holland. “We are expecting about 40-45 percent and out near Cecil Field it could be much higher — in the 60-80 percent range. We will overstaff in that area.”