In an incredibly close and heated election year, and with the events of the 2020 presidential election still fresh on the public’s mind, concerns surrounding violence at the polls have surfaced. The Chicago Board of Elections, as in past years, has hired thousands of poll workers to help polling run smoothly, and has taken precautions to assure voter safety. There is little threat of any violence at polls within Chicago. 

More than 1.5 million people vote in Chicago, and during the general election season the Board of Elections hires over 10,000 temporary employees. The process is incredibly complicated and busy, especially during a heated, close or complex election year.

The voting process can be complicated, but there are resources to aid in the process. WTTW has sample ballots and voting guides, as well as explanations on how to get involved in elections. The team at 14 East has also put together a guide on elections. 

The present polling suggests that both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are equally favored among voters, and a recent Pew Research Center study found that most supporters find fundamental value differences with the other candidate’s supporters. Only 24% of Harris supporters and 18% of Trump supporters say that both groups share the same “core American values and goals,” despite different political views, according to Pew.

This national divide is paired with a high level of attention towards the election. Sixty-four percent have given the candidates a great amount of thought and 76% say the outcome of the election is really important to America, according to a Pew study.

High tensions and sharp differences have led to fears of potential political violence and concerns regarding whether the losing candidate will concede. This, in turn, has led to an increased need for verifiable, reliable and well-staffed polling locations. 

The Board of Elections primarily seeks to fill the role of election judge during the general season. Election judges are the workforce behind a successful election day, beginning the process at 5 a.m. the morning of November 5 by providing ballots, answering questions and registering voters well into the evening. The judges are compensated between $170 and $250 for their efforts.

The Board also hires election coordinators, a type of poll worker with more responsibilities. Coordinators are paid more, up to $450, making the position significantly more sought-after; though due to the managerial role, it requires more training and a higher base level of education. 

Early-voting officials are also hired by the thousands, staffing the early polling locations  October 1 to November 2, reducing the load on Election Day. These officials are paid hourly and have the opportunity to work their position as a full-time job for the month of election season.

Any resident of Cook County, who is a high school junior or older and registered to vote (if 18 or older), can apply to become a poll worker. The requirements vary depending on position and age, but the process is reasonably simple as the Board of Elections needs to hire many workers in a short period of time. 

Eulalie Laschever, a professor with a specialization in political sociology at DePaul, discussed this election cycle in an interview with 14 East. When asked if there are enough people available to staff the polls, she said, “the more people involved in the process, the better.”

Laschever also commented that the current political climate in America is causing a significant amount of stress and reducing people’s motivation to get involved in elections. 

Laschever said the stress in politics is palpable, and “violence in the political rhetoric is quantitatively different [from past election years].” Laschever commented that the chance of violence in Chicago is essentially zero due to similar political views among residents and well-staffed polling locations.

Laschever also said polling violence would only be a concern in strongly purple areas (areas where the population is heavily split between Democratic and Republican votes) and would become a central piece of rhetoric for both campaigns if it occurred. 

Laschever explained that access to polling in Chicago mirrors other inequalities in the city. “The more affluent a neighborhood, the easier the polling,” she said. Wealthier areas of Chicago typically have better access to government resources such as libraries, public transportation and schools, making voting more accessible in these areas. 

Laschever then discussed how the high number of mail-in ballots used throughout the city helps balance access to polling and smooth elections. The process to complete a mail-in ballot is not overly complicated, she said, but requires some level of persistence in dealing with a poorly-designed website. Her only real concern with the mail-in votes is younger people with little to no experience using the U.S. Postal Service. 

“The best way to deal with anxiety around the election is to get involved,” Laschevar said. Poll working is boring, with long hours and repetitive tasks, she said, but “that’s the beauty of democracy.”

Max Bever, the director of public information at the Chicago Board of Elections, also commented on the limited risk of polling violence during an open forum with 14 East. “We try to keep it as boring and as calm as possible,” he said.

Bever explained that election judges don’t get any training in de-escalation techniques and are told not to intervene. The limited training does not allow for adequate time to teach proper and safe de-escalation and that is not the job of the poll workers, he said. Instead the Board hires 400 poll investigators to be the public safety officials at the polls.

Poll investigators are often off-duty police or military, who are either onsite or near polling locations to de-escalate any possible altercations before they could become a 911 call. Using the investigators as an intermediary helps assure that there will be no crisis for the poll workers, he said.

Having no police waiting at the polling sites makes voters feel safer, he explained. Assuming there will be a threat makes voters assume there will be a threat, which puts everyone on edge. 

Bever said that Chicago is lucky – there are not a lot of threats within the city towards polls or poll workers as compared with others. “We get upset voters, but we don’t see the same kind of threats as in Milwaukee,” he said. 

Both Bever and Laschever encourage students and the general populace to get involved with elections in some form or another, even if it is just voting. “Voting is a civic duty,” Bever said.

Header by Alexis Phelps