SENIOR POLL WORKERS FIGHT FEAR OF COVID 19 WITH STRICT SAFETY GUIDELINES IN BRONX
Volunteer poll worker Beverly Talley wears a face mask and gloves as she checks in a voter at a voting center during primary voting in Washington in June 2020. Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
While anxieties about contracting COVID 19 have contributed to the poll worker shortage in the 2020 presidential elections, Bronx senior citizens still showed up to perform their civic duties on Election Day.
Patrolling outside of Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School in the Bronx, poll worker Donna Irving, 62, meticulously ushered a trickle of voters in and out of the building, making sure everyone is following COVID 19 safety guidelines.
“It’s important to stay organized and to keep safe distances between people,” Irving said. “We have sanitizers and if someone comes in and doesn’t have a mask on, then we provide one for them.”
Fiftyeight percent of poll workers are aged 61 years or older. This age group is more susceptible to the coronavirus, according to the CDC. Because seniors are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, there was a shortage of poll workers in New York.
“My cousin who is older than I am and who used to work the polls, couldn’t do it this year,” Irving said. “We had three family members die of Covid.”
Polling workers at Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School took extra precautions to keep themselves and voters safe. This year’s training for polling coordinator Flordaliza Martinez, 58, included COVID-19 safety guidelines.
“We talk about masks, sanitizing, washing hands, distance, and decreasing contact as much as possible,” Martinez said. “Covid is here for a long time, so we have to learn how to live with it.”
Eight in ten COVID19 related deaths in the United States involved adults 65 years-old and older. Doctors have urged anyone over the age of 60 to self-isolate. Although worried about her health, Irving is determined to help as many people vote as possible.
“You know someone my age, it’s dangerous,” Irving said. “But, because so many people, my friends and just all around people I know couldn't do it this year, I felt like I had to.”
Hours working at the voting polls can be especially exhausting. Exhaustion and lack of sleep can affect your immune system’s vulnerability to a virus like COVID 19. Polling workers can work up to 18 hours a day.
“You know we’re here from five a.m to ten p.m, sometimes eleven,” Polling coordinator Tiffany, 26, who didn’t share her last name said. “We have to make sure everything is clean, safe and ready for everyone. It’s exhausting, but we gotta do it.”