Last Thursday, November 30, saw dozens of election officials and poll workers convene in Edmond Town Hall’s Alexandria Room for Newtown’s first ever Poll Worker Appreciation event.

The event, which honored the time and labor contributed by election workers, is a component of a novel state-wide Poll Worker Appreciation program. This program, having launched just this May, has been championed proudly by Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, who attended the event in person so as to thank the workers herself.

According to Thomas, poll workers play a crucial and often underappreciated role in safeguarding the integrity of our democratic processes. Often serving long and demanding hours with little thanks from the public, they ensure that our elections are conducted fairly and efficiently.

“Everyone thinks they’re an expert in elections because they vote…” she joked. “But when members of the public would come and testify, or even just talking to other legislators, they didn’t have a real understanding of how the process worked, how many hours it took.”

When elections run smoothly, she explained, no one bothers to question or consider the countless hours of rote labor, nor the care, attention, and meticulous regard to detail that makes it all possible. The Poll Worker Appreciation program is designed to change that.

“There is this notion that elections just happen, and bad things can happen because no one’s there watching.”

Poll workers, who are always present at the polling stations, are tasked with ensuring that each vote is cast and counted accurately. Ultimately, however, their ranks are made up of neighbors, friends, and community members who voluntarily dedicate their time and effort to participate in the inner workings of our democratic system.

“We’re trying to spread the word to make people understand that they know who the poll workers are in their community,” said secretary Thomas. “They’ve probably met them at PTA, Kiwanis club, whatever it might be.”

According to her, recognizing the contribution of poll workers is not just about giving credit where it’s most certainly due, but also about fostering the kind of community trust that acts as the foundation of healthy democratic institutions.

“I am hoping that as we go into the 2024 cycle,” she said, “that we start to see some of this divisiveness melt away, that we start to see the commonalities that we have as Americans who live in a representative democracy — that we are lucky to live in this system and this country and that we as citizens of this country can learn to engage with our democracy. That’s my goal for America and for Connecticut.”

Also in attendance were Registrars of Voters LeReine Frampton and Erica Canfield, who both gave short speeches speaking to the spirit and commitment of their fellow workers.

“You take a lot of abuse, more than we’d ever want you to,” said Frampton, “and you know we’ve got your back. We’ll stand behind you 100 percent.”

“You’re literally the faces that the voters see…” said Canfield. “You guys are at the forefront, and we appreciate every single one of you.”

Having concluded all speeches of thanks and congratulations, Secretary Thomas presented each individual poll worker with ten or more years of service a certificate of thanks, one by one.

Reporter Owen Tanzer can be reached at owen@thebee.com