The work is tedious, the hours are long and the pay is paltry. But running smooth elections is critically important to a functioning democracy in this age of baseless claims of election fraud and death threats against voting officials.
More than 1,000 civic-minded Broward residents have signed up to be poll workers for an upcoming special election, and nearly half as many are also being trained in Palm Beach County, which shares the 20th Congressional District with Broward. Voters will soon elect a successor to the late U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died in April. The primary will be Nov. 2 and the general election Jan. 11.
This is hardly a typical election. For the first time in Broward’s history, every poll worker must provide proof of vaccination or they can’t work at the polls. Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott explained the new rules in letters to poll workers, who are paid from $180 to $325 for a day’s work.
“This policy was not arrived at lightly, but rather is being implemented to ensure we are doing everything we can to provide a safe and healthy working environment for all poll workers and reduce risk of transmission to or from the voters,” Scott wrote.
The first-year supervisor’s insistence on a fully vaccinated class of poll workers is justified and necessary. It’s well established that people who are not vaccinated are far more likely to get sick from COVID-19 than those who got their shots. In addition, most poll workers are over age 60, putting them at higher risk for health problems made worse by the deadly virus. Why is this difficult?
Scott’s vaccine mandate is a responsible step. So naturally, he’s risking a confrontation with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s on a recklessly irresponsible statewide campaign against them, claiming mandates are illegal under a law he signed last spring. Senate Bill 2006 says no “governmental entity” may require anyone to prove they’ve been vaccinated “to gain access to, entry upon, or service from” government operations. A violation is subject to a $5,000 fine from the Department of Health, an agency under DeSantis’ control.
Scott was elected supervisor last November and this is his first major election. He told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board that most poll workers are willing to comply and some actually got their first shots at recent training sessions.
If poll workers are upset, they’re not showing it. Fewer than a dozen filed complaints with the elections office — a tiny fringe of the county’s poll worker population. But their uninformed opinions are a reminder of the prevalence of disinformation about getting vaccinated.
“This is unacceptable. What authority under the Constitution gives you this right?” Michael Miller wrote Scott, accusing the supervisor of trying to suppress poll worker participation in the special election.
Scott received a letter with nearly identical wording from a second voter — a sign of an orchestrated campaign by the anti-vaxxer crowd.
Latrisha Greaves of Fort Lauderdale sent Scott a barrage of testy questions, such as: “Can you please advise me of the approved legal status of any vaccine and if it is experimental?” She wants Scott to confirm in writing that she would “suffer no harm” from taking the vaccine.
The harm is in refusing to get vaccinated. How is this still not crystal clear?
In Palm Beach County, Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link has not imposed a vaccine mandate, but she will require all poll workers, and voters alike, to wear masks at voting sites, as does Broward.
Link said she opted not to make vaccinations mandatory because Palm Beach uses Plexiglas shields to provide extra protection between poll workers and voters.
Both supervisors also will offer free vaccinations at or near their locations offering early voting, which in both counties will be from Oct. 23-31.
Scott, who ran for Broward supervisor last year on a platform to make the agency more professional and customer-friendly, knows he has a responsibility to ensure healthy workplaces and to make voting as safe as possible for everyone.
COVID’s deadly threat became all too real in the close-knit elections office recently when employee Leo Waiters died of complications from the virus. According to Scott, he was unvaccinated. A well-liked staffer with a ready smile, Waiters had worked for the elections office for nine years. A father of two, he was 37.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.
