Pocono News Section

Election Workers Prepare for Primary

Election Workers Prepare for Primary - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 4:52PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 @ 04:52pm EST
STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY - Election worker Lashawn Bryan has worked on absentee ballot's all day for weeks at the Monroe County Voter Registration office.

Director of Elections Sara May-Silfee said, "We were working seven days a week with registration and change of parties, seven days a week, 12 to 13 hours a day."

Employees at the office have spent more time at work than at home lately. Just processing all the mail can take hours.

This year the post office delivered more than double the usual number of absentee ballots for a primary election. Lashawn processed hundreds of them.

She said, "Staring at the computer constantly, you're driving home, it's like blurred vision all the way home."

May-Silfee said because the democratic primary race is so tight she expects more people than normal to vote next week. But she adds you shouldn't see long lines like in the last Presidential election. She brought in dozens more voting machines and extra poll workers.

To make the lines move faster the office split the poll books. Instead of two large books, they'll use several small ones to sign in more people at once.

Once the primary is over Sara, Lashawn and the rest of the Monroe County election staff have to get ready for November which could take even more work than the primary.

Today was the deadline to send absentee ballot applications. Once you receive the ballot, you must return it to voter registration by five Friday evening for your vote to count.