SCRANTON, Pa. — Poll workers in Scranton and beyond call it an election like no other: history in the making.
While they prepared as best they could, they say there is no telling what this election will bring.
“I think this is one of the most important elections in the history of our country, and I feel very honored to be a part of it," said Laurie Williams, Lackawanna County Judge of Elections.
Williams has worked the polls in Scranton for 36 years, but she says she has never been part of something like this: a presidential election in the midst of a pandemic.
“I have a lot of good help, and we’re going to need everybody to be focused, and I think there might be a lot of anxiety among the voters," added Williams.
Like others, Williams took a special class to prepare for this election: keeping herself and others safe during this health crisis, for example.
Statewide, she says mail-in ballots have been very popular, but she and other poll workers still expect to see a lot of people voting in person.
“Especially this year, you know, there are so many things going on with the election in general and the two candidates and how people feel either way and then the pandemic thrown in there is definitely making it a historical time for everybody. Never in my lifetime did I expect to be a part of a pandemic in 2020, but here we are, and I just want to help the American people any way I can to get out there and get their voice and get their voice heard," said Kerri Gowarty of Scranton.
Poll workers said there is no telling how long it will be before we know who the next president will be, but they said that is not necessarily a bad thing.
“I don’t know how long it will be, but I really don’t think we will know by the end of the night. There’s just too much at stake, and I think in a way that’s a good thing that we’re very sure and very careful in counting the votes.”
Poll workers expect a lot of focus on Pennsylvania this election as a battleground state in this election, making their jobs as important as ever.