Latest / Brian Thomas / HAMCO - We need poll workers!

Transcript

HAMCO - We need poll workers! · Brian Thomas

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  Speaker 1: It's eight oh six right now here on the fifty
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  Speaker 1: five Carse Morning Show. Any very happy Wednesday to all.
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  Speaker 1: Brian Thomas always please bring back to the fifty five
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  Speaker 1: carric Morning Show doing such a great job, Sherry Poland
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  Speaker 1: from the Hamilton County Board of Elections making sure it's
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  Speaker 1: a well oiled machine as it always is in Hamilton
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  Speaker 1: County for voting on election day, which is fast approaching.
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  Speaker 1: Welcome back to Sherry Poland. It's good to have you
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  Speaker 1: on the show this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Brian, thank you for having me.
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  Speaker 1: Well. Before we get to the always needed poll worker discussion,
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  Speaker 1: can we talk about some of the deadlines, registration deadlines
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  Speaker 1: and other dates that we need to think about before
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  Speaker 1: we get to November three.
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  Speaker 2: Please absolutely thank you for bringing that up. The registration
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  Speaker 2: deadline for the November election is October fifth, so if
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  Speaker 2: you are not yet a registered voter in the state
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  Speaker 2: of Ohio, you have until October fifth to register, or
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  Speaker 2: if you've moved or had to change a name, please
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  Speaker 2: update your record on and before that date. It's easy
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  Speaker 2: to do. You can go on to the Board of
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  Speaker 2: Elections website vote Hamilton County, Ohio dot gov and click
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  Speaker 2: on the registration button.
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  Speaker 1: And you can also request to vote my mail ballot
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  Speaker 1: there as well. You got to download an application for
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  Speaker 1: that right you do.
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  Speaker 2: But this year, for this election cycle, the Ohio Secretary
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  Speaker 2: State is going to be mailing an absentee application to
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  Speaker 2: every registered voter in the state of Ohio. This is
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  Speaker 2: historically done in even year general election, so in midterms
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  Speaker 2: and presidentials where to turn out higher, the Secretary mails
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  Speaker 2: that application. So it's my understanding those applications will be
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  Speaker 2: hitting voters' mailboxes somewhere around Labor Day.
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  Speaker 1: Fantastic and another link right there at vote Hamilton County
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  Speaker 1: dot Ohio, Vote Hamilton County, Ohio dot gov. When me
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  Speaker 1: get it out right, you need poll workers, shocking, I
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  Speaker 1: know every year, Sherry Polam when you come on the program,
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  Speaker 1: it's request for folks assistance in managing the election day affairs.
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  Speaker 1: And that's a really an important function. I mean, it
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  Speaker 1: ensures the integrity the other election because you got you know,
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  Speaker 1: both parties represented with people making sure the appropriate rules
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  Speaker 1: are followed, hammering out any concerns, perhaps disagreements, you know,
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  Speaker 1: any irregularities that pop up. And it's a well oiled machine.
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  Speaker 1: It's a great system and my wife having done it
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  Speaker 1: for more than a decade, if I recall correctly, Sherry,
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  Speaker 1: never ever, and you correct me the record that if
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  Speaker 1: I'm wrong, never really any problems in being a poll worker.
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  Speaker 1: In other words, it's not a high tension job. You're
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  Speaker 1: not in arguing and yelling match. You're not screaming at
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  Speaker 1: each other about political differences. People played nicely together in
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  Speaker 1: ensuring the integrity election being poll workers. Am I right
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  Speaker 1: or am I wrong?
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  Speaker 2: Now? You are absolutely right. We do have members of
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  Speaker 2: both political parties working together at the polls, but they
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  Speaker 2: put aside their political views on election day. And it's
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  Speaker 2: easy to work together when you're just focused on your
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  Speaker 2: common goal, and the common goal is free and fair
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  Speaker 2: elections in Hamilton County. So you know, we do not
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  Speaker 2: have problems with people poll workers disagreeing on election day.
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  Speaker 2: They you know, we do not discuss politics at the
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  Speaker 2: polling place. We leave that outside and you know, you
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  Speaker 2: just focus on that common goal and things run well well.
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  Speaker 1: And my perception of this is, you know, the more
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  Speaker 1: radical the kind of might screaming you know, I want
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  Speaker 1: to talk about politicis and getting your face. They're not
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  Speaker 1: the kind of people who volunteer to work the polls.
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  Speaker 1: People who want to work to polls are civic minded people.
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  Speaker 1: They understand the reason they are there, and both sides
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  Speaker 1: are there for the same reason, which is to make
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  Speaker 1: sure everything's done fairly and properly.
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  Speaker 2: That's absolutely right, all right.
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  Speaker 1: Now, what does someone need to do if they hear
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  Speaker 1: the call to arms here and they say, you know
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  Speaker 1: what I'm going to do with this year? Go to
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  Speaker 1: Hamilton or Vote Hamilton County, Ohio doc click on the
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  Speaker 1: link and then tell them what they're up for, what
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  Speaker 1: they're in for in terms of time obligation, Sherry Poland.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's easy to apply. Like you said, just
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  Speaker 2: go to our website, click on the poll worker button,
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  Speaker 2: or you can give us a call at the Board
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  Speaker 2: of Elections five one, three nine four six eighty five hundred.
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  Speaker 2: Once you sign up, one of our members from our
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  Speaker 2: team will contact you assign you to a training class.
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  Speaker 2: So all poll workers do have to come to a
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  Speaker 2: training class. It's at our headquarters in Norwood. We offer
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  Speaker 2: the training mornings afternoons evenings Monday through Friday, and then
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  Speaker 2: we even have Saturday classes, so and we offer them
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  Speaker 2: throughout the entire month of October, so you know there'll
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  Speaker 2: be a time to fit anyone's schedule to come for
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  Speaker 2: the training. Then you'll be assigned to a polling location
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  Speaker 2: and you will have to go to that location Monday evening,
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  Speaker 2: the night before election day to set up your polling place.
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  Speaker 2: Then you report back to your polling place at five
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  Speaker 2: thirty am election day so we can make sure the
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  Speaker 2: polls are ready to be open at six thirty am
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  Speaker 2: sharp polls close at seven thirty pm, and then there's
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  Speaker 2: a few close the polls responsibilities that the poll workers have.
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  Speaker 2: They usually get out of there by about eight thirty.
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  Speaker 2: I know it's a long day, but it's only one day.
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  Speaker 2: We're not asking someone right to to doing this for
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  Speaker 2: days on. It's just one day to go out and
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  Speaker 2: help administer democracy for your community. And as you mentioned, Brian,
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  Speaker 2: it's not a difficult job. We make sure you have
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  Speaker 2: all the tools and resources you need to perform your responsibilities,
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  Speaker 2: and that includes the training and a lot of support
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  Speaker 2: on election day. We have a help desk here at
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  Speaker 2: the Board that's specifically dedicated to answering calls from poll
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  Speaker 2: workers if something arises on election day that they want
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  Speaker 2: to report to us or have a question about. And
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  Speaker 2: then we have troubleshooters that are out in the field
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  Speaker 2: assigned to a handful of polling locations, and they're roaming
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  Speaker 2: all day just there to help support the poll workers
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  Speaker 2: in anything they need. So it's a very important job,
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  Speaker 2: but it's not a difficult job.
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  Speaker 1: And that and my recollection is seen to me. Within
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  Speaker 1: the last couple of years or so, there was a
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  Speaker 1: change in the eligibility for poll workers and that some
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  Speaker 1: seniors in high school can actually do this to maybe
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  Speaker 1: boost their resume credentials by engaging in civics by being
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  Speaker 1: a poll worker.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I'm so glad that you bought that up. We
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  Speaker 2: have a number of poleworker recruitment programs and the one
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  Speaker 2: you're describing is our Youth at the Booth program. So
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  Speaker 2: seventeen an eighteen year old high school students may work
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  Speaker 2: the polls on election day. They are paid the same
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  Speaker 2: as their adult counterparts two hundred and twenty five dollars.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, we do not assign them to manage our positions,
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  Speaker 2: but they are a tremendous help, and especially the more
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  Speaker 2: physical part of the job and setting up the voting booths.
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  Speaker 2: And things like that, and then they can use the
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  Speaker 2: iPads that are used to check in voters. They're so
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  Speaker 2: tech savvy they can do those very quickly. And then
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  Speaker 2: that leaves their adult counterparts to handle, you know, someone
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  Speaker 2: that might be having a question or a little bit,
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  Speaker 2: you know, some sort of problem or something. It leaves
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  Speaker 2: our adult counterparts to deal with that. So it's a
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  Speaker 2: great program. We actually call it the Youth at the
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  Speaker 2: Booth Challenge here in Hamilton County because we challenge all
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  Speaker 2: area high schools to recruit their students to work the polls,
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  Speaker 2: and then the high school that have as the most
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  Speaker 2: students wins the contest, wins the challenge, and we come
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  Speaker 2: out to their school and present the school at the flat.
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  Speaker 2: The students get a certificate and we host a little
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  Speaker 2: pizza party for them to recognize their service.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and they also get two undred and twenty five
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  Speaker 1: bucksh you talk about it, it's quite a few hours
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  Speaker 1: the training class, and it's that full day of work
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  Speaker 1: on election day. But you know, maybe to a working
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  Speaker 1: age adult, you think of two ndred twenty five bucks
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  Speaker 1: for all those hours. But you know, if a person's
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  Speaker 1: seventeen years old and isn't yet gainfully employed. That I
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  Speaker 1: bet is a reasonably impressive amount of money that for
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  Speaker 1: that easy work.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, and it's also something that looks great on
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  Speaker 2: a job application or a college application.
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  Speaker 1: Yes. Now, yeah, one more thing I have to ask,
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  Speaker 1: and I think I'll cover all the things here. My
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  Speaker 1: wife was always assigned to the same polling location year
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  Speaker 1: after year after year. It was always really very close
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  Speaker 1: to our home. Did do you as a poll worker?
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned being allocated or assigned to a polling location,
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  Speaker 1: any say, where you end up as a poll worker like, well,
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  Speaker 1: will be really convenient if I could work this particular
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  Speaker 1: polling location or is there some measure of control over
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  Speaker 1: that a little bit.
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  Speaker 2: We know that people like to work either at their
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  Speaker 2: assigned polling place or at least somewhere in their community,
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  Speaker 2: so we do our best to accommodate that. But if
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  Speaker 2: all the positions are filled in your community, then we
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  Speaker 2: may ask you to go outside of your community. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, those folks that are willing to go wherever
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  Speaker 2: needed in Hamilton County, you know their service is really valued.
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  Speaker 2: So we do our best to accommodate your request. But
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  Speaker 2: if there are no open positions, then we may have
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  Speaker 2: to move you outside of your community.
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  Speaker 1: Fair enough, and early voting, when when early voting opens up?
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  Speaker 1: What are the hours and the days of the week
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  Speaker 1: for the Hamilt County polling place? Because when we have
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  Speaker 1: voted early at the Hamilt County Board of Elections, I
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  Speaker 1: will tell you and compliment you, Sherry polland and all
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  Speaker 1: the people that work there, what a well oiled machine.
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  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 1: The line looks really really long, but you get in
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  Speaker 1: it and you're in and out of virtually no time.
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  Speaker 1: The line moves very quickly, and I can only presume
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  Speaker 1: it's going to be that way this year. But how
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  Speaker 1: about when the what are the hours?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so early voting begins on Tuesday, October six, so
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  Speaker 2: it always begins the day after the voter registration deadline.
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  Speaker 2: And when we start out the first few weeks of
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  Speaker 2: early voting, we're open from eight am to five pm
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  Speaker 2: Monday through Friday. Then when we get closer to election day,
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  Speaker 2: that final week before election, we're actually open from seven
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  Speaker 2: thirty am to seven thirty pm that Monday through Friday.
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  Speaker 2: And then we're open two Saturdays for early voting this
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  Speaker 2: election cycle, and then the two Saturdays before election day,
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  Speaker 2: and then of course the Sunday before election Day is
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  Speaker 2: the final day of early voting. And I also want
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  Speaker 2: to mention that's also the same day October sixth, when
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  Speaker 2: we start early voting, that's the same day we can
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  Speaker 2: begin mailing ballots to voters who have requested them.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Sherry Pulling, it seems like it's so easy to
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  Speaker 1: cast a vote. Don't you scratch your head and wonder
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  Speaker 1: why more people don't go out and take the time
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  Speaker 1: to do that. You don't need to answer it. It's
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  Speaker 1: a rhetorical question, I know, Cherry Poland. I hope my
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  Speaker 1: listeners will heed the call and volunteer to work the polls.
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  Speaker 1: All the information and how to do that can be
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  Speaker 1: found at vote Hamilton County, Ohio dot com, the website
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  Speaker 1: for the Hamilton County Board of Elections. Sherry Poland, I
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  Speaker 1: appreciate what you do every year, and thanks for joining
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  Speaker 1: my listeners this morning and rolling out the details on
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  Speaker 1: working the polls and the voting.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks. I'm a great day.
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  Speaker 1: You do the same, Sherry, always got a spot here
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  Speaker 1: to pass along the info. Eighty six