SPRINGFIELD — After 15 years working the polls in Springfield’s elections, Warden Lillian Lisojo said she has a lot of confidence in the voting process.
Lisojo is the warden for Ward 1, precinct E, and oversees a team of five poll workers. Lisojo said wardens and poll workers receive training ahead of each election. They are taught how to operate the voting machines, what to do if there is an error or if something goes wrong.
Machines sometimes break down, Lisojo said. In that case, a replacement machine is delivered to the location. The ballots that were inserted into the original machine are held aside under security until all the ballots from the polling place are ready to be delivered to the Election Commission at the end of the night. Ballots are transported with a police detail to ensure security.
If someone turns up at the precinct but is not on the list of registered voters for that location, the poll workers call the Elections Commission at City Hall to determine where they are registered. Polling places are determined by street address, so if someone moves, their polling place often changes.
Poll workers interact with voters throughout the day. Lisojo said some voters are skeptical about the process. Others are confused about the wording on ballot questions. She and her team take time with each voter to answer questions. If explaining a ballot question, she said a police officer is there to ensure that the explanation is true to the question printed on the ballot. If a voter’s question cannot be answered at the polling place, people are directed to contact or visit City Hall.
Lisojo said many people have expressed to her an interest in working the polls during elections. “You have to pay attention as a poll worker,” Lisojo said. Each worker has a role in the process, Lisojo said. “Me, as a warden, I have a responsibility to make sure the voting goes smooth, people understand things,” she said. There is also a clerk who maintains and updates the logbook, and poll inspectors, who check voters against the list.
Lisojo said she has seen use of the early voting period and mail-in voting take off over the past few years. “Early voting — that’s the best thing they ever did,” she said, noting that she votes early because she is working from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, which falls on Nov. 3 this year.
