Retired poll worker, Norbert Trent
A major reason the voting for the presidential elections went so smoothly on Tuesday is in large part due to the numerous volunteers who spent their time ensuring that the voting process occurred without any major hiccups.
Norbert Trent, 89, understands the amount of hard work it takes to be a volunteer at the voting polls. Trent has helped keep the voting process run efficiently for every election in the past 32 years except for the presidential election that took place Tuesday.
“I didn’t work the polls for this election because at 89 years old, it’s a little hard for me to get around and working the polls requires a lot of effort,” Trent stated.
When Trent retired as a private business owner, he felt that as an American citizen he should contribute to his community.
“Voting is the only element of power that a citizen has,” Trent stated. “It’s the one power that you can exhibit in this county – what else can you do?”
For 32 years, Trent fulfilled the qualifications to become a poll worker which is to prove that he is a registered voter, attend a half-day lecture, and pass a test of 10 questions.
Poll workers also set up the polls the night prior, validate the registration of voters, and answer any questions a person might have about the voting process.
The volunteers are only there to help and they are in no way allowed to sway the opinions of voters.
“People would ask me about propositions that they didn’t understand,” Trent stated, “and I’m not allowed to describe the props to them. They should have read and understood them before they came to vote because their vote is important.”
Trent stressed the importance of individuals to continue to vote for any election.
“It’s the only element of power a citizen has,” Trent stated. “If you don’t vote, then the politicians only run for their gain and they won’t change the country in a way that benefits the American people.”