A Special Message For Everyone Who Works at the Polls on Election Day

. It would appear that, no matter what the epidemiologists say, Americans are determined to relax the social distancing guidelines.

. This may threaten elections in a way no one discusses. Between Donald Trump and a GOP-controlled Senate, there appears to be no way the US will have a mail-in-ballot-only election this year. People who either do not choose to exercise the option to vote by mail, or who live in states which permit voting by mail only for absentee ballots, which require a cause to vote by mail, will have to go to the polls.

. I have a specific message for all poll workers. But, before I get to that, I want to give everyone something to think about.

. For states which have not conducted primaries-as well as for the general election-the focus appears to be to convince people that voting would be like going to the grocery store: a few minutes in line, vote and leave.

. There are two problems with this.

. First, at least in the general election, there will be hundreds of people voting. In 2008 and in 2016, over 700 people voted in my division. You may spend more time in line than you think.

. The second is failing to understand who works at the polls. A 2017 study by the United States Election Assistance Commission (https://www.eac.gov/documents/2017/11/15/eavs-deep-dive-poll-workers-and-polling-places ) indicates that, nationally, 56% of poll workers are over 60 years old. Having served as Judge of…