Election Day brought to you by 800 poll workers

photo Mel Willett, 83, speaks about how this is his last year volunteering for the Hamilton County Election Commission while at the Mountain Creek voting precinct Monday. Willett has been volunteering for the Election Commission since he retired in 1995.

ELECTION DAY• Tennessee polling locations are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time today.• Alabama polls will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time, although those location which are in the Eastern time zone will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time.• Georgia polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time today.VOTER GUIDEView the Times Free Press 2014 Voter Guide at www.timesfreepress.com/voterguide2014

After 14 days of early voting, poll workers in Hamilton County and across the state worked Monday to set up 75 county polling locations for the 2014 General Election.

"All the precinct officers are coming by today picking up their supplies and equipment. It's like Grand Central Station here today," County Election Administrator Kerry Steelman said of election commission headquarters.

Today, more than 800 temporary poll workers -- trained in election procedures, voting laws and equipment -- will help county residents complete their civic duty, Steelman said. And by all accounts, they will do it well.

"The fact that there were relatively few issues that arose during the May and August elections is reflective of the commitment and dedication of these workers," Steelman said.

This is after poll workers assisted 27,053 county residents in early voting, which started Oct. 15 and ended Thursday.

For one such worker, 83-year-old Mel Willett, this year will be the last time he guides voters through a polling place.

"This is the last one. I've seen people in their mid-80s who had no business doing it. And I want to finish on my own terms," Willett said.

He and his wife have been working polls in Hamilton County since he retired in 1995. He started out at Red Bank High School, until that polling location was changed. When he first went, he and his wife assumed it was a volunteer gig.

"The people at the election commission were floored. They said, 'nobody volunteers for this,'" he said.

Poll workers now are paid $100 for their service, and poll officers are paid $160, Steelman said.

While Tuesday may seem like the end of the election hubbub, Steelman said it's more like the middle. Once the votes are tallied Tuesday night, the election still has to be audited and certified, he said.

And, he said, this election presented new obstacles -- in the form of localized ballot referenda on wine sales and proposed constitutional amendments -- for even veteran workers.

"This year was somewhat unique in that while preparing for elections the staff was inundated with petitions on various initiatives. During that time period well over 30,000 signatures were reviewed," Steelman said.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp released the finalized early voting totals for that state, ahead of today's vote.

In a news release Monday, Kemp said 939,136 Georgians voted early, either in person or via mail-in ballot.

Alabama does not have an early voting period, but absentee voting in the state ended Monday.

Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.

Upcoming Events