Opinion: Worried about election security in Kansas? Ask a poll worker — or become one yourself!

I just got home from my mandatory poll worker preelection training. It was 90-plus minutes long, and this was just a refresher class for experienced poll workers, not the longer new poll worker class. I got an updated 51-page election board manual to review at home.

My shift will be 14 hours long: Report before 6 a.m. and work until about 8 p.m. Flat-rate pay is $130 for a shift. I could sign a fee waiver sheet and work for free. But, nah, this year I think I want to use the big bucks for something I cannot otherwise afford — a massage or a steak. Fill up the tank without swearing. Have a feel-good moment. Or donate it to Just Food, which would also result in a feel-good moment.

I’ve been saying for years now that Donald Trump has never worked an election. If he had, how could he, with such blistering language, rant about how the system is rigged? He maintains that ballots can be stolen, boxes of them substituted or made to disappear, mail-in ballots forged, voting machines hacked. Ballots are how elections are rigged, he claims.

And that is just ridiculous.

Here is my pitch: Do what Trump has never dared to do. I encourage everyone who worries about rigged voting machines and stolen ballots, who believes that there is corruption lurking in every cardboard box, to take a deep dive into the alleged swamp of insidious fraud.

Sign up to work the polls! Yes, it may be uncomfortable. You may feel suspicious. That’s OK. Ask lots of questions. Watch, from the inside, how the process unfolds. Respect the rules about not talking politics. It could be a relief to understand, from personal experience, how the system in place prevents voting fraud. 

It’s too late to sign up for the 2026 election. But you can at least get your name on a list to get a letter for the next election. 

I understand that some might not be eager to work the polls yet still worry about stolen ballots. So here are a few facts that might alleviate some of that worry.

Things voters might not be aware of

• Most poll workers are 65-plus years old. Believing they would choose to collude to commit election fraud? Seriously? That’s way above our pay grade. We just want to contribute to making voting a validating experience instead of a duty. We know, from experience, that ballots are inviolate.
• When serving, poll workers are apolitical. County election officials work to provide balance in each poll place, assigning workers of different political affiliations to work side-by-side. I’ve worked for years not knowing if fellow poll workers shared my party or positions. Discussing politics, or even world events, is verboten. We’re not there to persuade or convert. We don’t scroll our phones for reports of results.
• In my county, every ballot is completed by hand. When you place your completed ballot into the tabulator, it registers, then drops into a locked metal box. Workers cannot reach in and grab a few ballots. Workers cannot substitute ballots. When the ballots are removed from the box at the end of the day, the tabulated total is compared with the total of written names taken down as voters arrived and showed ID. The results must match. Ballots are placed in a sealed bag, with witnesses to the process. No one is ever left alone with ballots.
• Poll workers cannot leave their polling places on Election Day. No excuses. So, no hanky-panky with ballots. If you leave, you can’t return. No quickie runs to the nearest Subway or bakery. (Nothing like being in lockdown to make me lust for pastry.) When I show up at 5:50 a.m., I’ve packed a small cooler: breakfast yogurt, lunch, ample iced tea, snacks, a few extra sandwiches to share with anyone under-prepared. Plus a book to read if there is a break. 
• Voting technology differs by county. In Douglas County, there is no internet connection between any tabulating machine and a central registry. There is no internet involved in the voting process, period. Hacking requires internet. However, counties that do use voting machines have their own rigorous security protocols. Plus, cross-counting ballot totals with signatures also takes place.  You, as a voter, can ask questions about the protocols and technology in your county.There are layers and layers of testing and trial runs before any new technology is allowed. Ask questions – don’t toss accusations — to learn the facts.

My takeaway

The serious threats to any fair election process are not inside individual polling places or machines.

The threats are much, much bigger. They come from laws that create blocks to registering to vote, laws that demand additional proof of individual legitimacy to vote. Are you really who you say you are? Prove your name change. Get an official copy of your birth certificate or marriage certificate. Show your passport. Doing all of this takes time and costs money.

Even more blocks are created not by laws but protocols. Polling places are less available. Advanced voting is shortened, along with fewer polls. Mail-in voting gets hyped as the big problem and the time limit allowed between ballots going out and being returned is shortened.

At the training, I heard frustration. Our county ballots, mailed to registered voters who had applied for mail-in ballots, were still “stuck” in Kansas City a week later. By the time voters receive their ballots, it may be too tight to mail them back. (Given that I recently had mail from Lawrence to Topeka take two weeks, I’m not confident.)

I do have a few suggestions to make voting less stressful.

First, walk into your election office and request a sample ballot in advance of however you choose to vote. Mine is bright green and says “sample” all over it, so there’s no chance of it being used for nefarious purposes. Having one gives me time to review the candidates and research any specific questions I may have. I can read, and reread, the often convoluted back-page constitutional amendments and county or city ballot questions.

Our polling sites provide privacy, but not an hour in an armchair with a cup of tea to reflect on important, individual choices. 

What I most appreciate about a sample ballot is being able to see all the judges up for retention. I used to feel ignorant, and it didn’t seem fair to vote if I didn’t know their records. Then I discovered a Kansas Bar Association website that provides data provided by attorneys who have tried cases, from both sides, with those judges.

It shares information about their biographies, prior employment, positions and experience. It’s reassuring to realize that so many of our appointed judges make thoughtful, deeply reasoned and judicious decisions on challenging issues. Kansas has a nonpartisan appointment process that works.

I hope this provides a slightly better understanding of what your poll workers bring to Election Day. Their commitment enables democracy. Wear your little “I Voted” sticker with pride. Your vote is critical to an enduring democracy.

If you haven’t considered being a poll worker yourself, think again. Your engagement, helping one voter at a time, can make a difference.

Susan Kraus has worked for decades as a therapist, university educator and court mediator. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.