Security was at the top of the agenda when 14 ballot clerks hired by South Berwick to run this year’s election met at Town Hall Wednesday for a three and a half hour training session, including a presentation on de-escalating potentially disruptive situations.
Voting on Election Day this year will be different than previous elections. Not only has the polling place been moved from the third floor of Town Hall to the Central School gym, but for the first time election workers will wear brightly colored vests to make them easily identifiable.
There also will be a consistent police presence at the polls throughout the day and increased attention to how voters enter and exit the polling area. Town officials are expecting a heavy turnout.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
South Berwick election workers watched as Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, speaking from her office in Augusta, kicked off a virtual training session designed to help poll workers deal with difficult situations that could arise.
The training included strategies for “recognizing the warning signs of someone on the path to violence” and “how to de-escalate the situation currently taking place through purposeful actions, verbal communication, and body language.”
“This election being more prominent to people, (with) more emotions involved, I wanted to have things in place to have a safe, accurate and consistent process,” said South Berwick Town Clerk Tyanne Giambusso, who led the local portion of the training.
Municipal clerks are in charge of running all elections in Maine. The mandatory training for South Berwick’s ballot clerks is one of several changes Giambusso has instituted this year. The town was among 45 municipalities that participated in the online session, according to Bellows.
People who will be working at the polls this year seemed to welcome the training.
“I feel much more confident coming in,” said Harland Goodwin, who has served as an election worker for 10 years. “This is the first time we’ve ever had any training, and it’s wonderful.”
The job of ballot clerk has become more complicated, Goodwin noted. “Basically (in previous elections) all we did was sit and check people in.”
In this year’s election, clerks will have a variety of responsibilities throughout the day, and they will need to be more vigilant. Giambusso took the clerks through a list of common problems they may encounter Tuesday.
Maine law prohibits the wearing of buttons, hats or clothing with political messages at polling places, and election clerks are responsible for helping to enforce this law.
They also need to be on the lookout for “helicopter parents” who want to go into the voting booth with their teenage children who are voting for the first time, Giambusso said. The rule is, “one voter at a time,” she reminded the clerks.
“If you see someone doing something that shouldn’t be happening, you need to let them know,” she said. It’s not enough “to just say ‘you can’t do that.’ Point out the violation and give a solution.”
In the case of someone wearing a t-shirt or hat with a political message, the best solution might be to let them vote and leave the polling place quickly, she advised. If they are not willing to do that, they may be asked to cover up the message they are wearing or change their clothes.
Election clerks will be given bright green laminated cards they can hold up if they need help. Common problems could include complications with newly registered voters or existing voters who have moved or changed their name.
Security issues could also come up, and the clerks were advised by both state officials participating remotely and by Giambusso to summon the police if necessary.
“I do have law enforcement on premises for the entire day,” she said..
While the likelihood of a violent incident at the polls in South Berwick may seem small, Secretary of State Bellows emphasized the importance of being prepared.
“We recognize that the political climate has changed,” she told the South Berwick Reporter in a phone interview. “Maine is not immune to violence that can disrupt public life.”
Bellows noted that while election violence in Maine was once “unfathomable,” that changed in 2021 with the “first documented threats to election officials” in the state. The following year the Maine legislature passed a law requiring the secretary of state to provide annual security training for town and city clerks across the state.
Since then the state has offered a series of security education sessions to local officials. The training South Berwick participated in Wednesday was the first session designed for poll workers and wardens, who do their jobs under the supervision of the town clerk.
Giambusso expressed confidence that things will go well on Election Day, but acknowledged that further changes may be needed. “Until it really happens … it’s a lot of trial and error,” she said.
“Just be nice,” Giambusso asked of everyone in remarks after the training. “Just be mindful and nice, and we’ll be fine.”
