Letters

We all arose while it was still pitch black outside, on a cold and raw morning. We drove to our assigned locations and arrived well before 5 a.m.

We worked all day, either signing in voters or distributing ballots, or running the tabulating machines, and we didn’t stop until 9 p.m., after the last voter had finished. We spent an additional hour and a half breaking down the hardware, packing the physical ballots into carry bags, closing down the voting locations, and departed the location at 10:30 p.m. — again, in the pitch black night.

My assigned location in the Westhampton Beach Fire Department served four election districts.

Not one single candidate visited to say thank you for working the election. I’m not talking about bringing coffee and donuts, a tradition that I guess has long since ceased, and which I jokingly talked about most of the day. Every Democrat was paired with a Republican, and I know that I mentioned how nice it would’ve been if a candidate came and said, “Thank you for your service here today.” Maybe the candidates came around during early voting, when the hours were a bit more civilized (read later in the day), and didn’t feel the obligation or duty to come around on Election Day.

It sure would’ve been nice to have anyone say, “Thank you for your service.” Yes, we got paid for the day, but it sure was a thankless task.

Jay Benzon

Remsenburg