Poll Workers Show Up in Guadalupe, Comal Counties Despite COVID-19 Concerns
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Despite initial concerns that fear of contracting COVID-19 would scare off the older Americans who constitute the majority of pollworkers during any election cycle, Comal County officials say there is no shortage of election clerks and judges working on either side of the partisan divide.
Election offices in Comal and Guadalupe counties have assured the League of Women Voters of the Comal Area (LWV-CA) and its partner agency, the Texas Election Protection Coalition, that there are enough workers and they so far have received no complaints about staffing, LWV-VA Pubicity Director Jerrie Champlin said today.
In fact, Comal County Clerk Bobbie Koepp said there are more poll workers at voting locations this October than during previous elections.
Comal Party Repubican Chair Sue Piner also confirmed there are plenty of Republican election judges and clerks.
“Very few Republicans were scared off by the virus,” she said.
The county’s Democratic party chair, Gloria Meehan, described the 2020 General Election as “the most important election of our lifetimes” which is why many Democratic polll workers who publicly criticized Comal County Elections Office employees for not wearing masks during training, showed up at polls anyway.
“Comal County Democrats have stepped up in a big way for the General Election, providing election judges, workers, and alternates too, to work the election during this pandemic which, by the way, has not mysteriously disappeared,” she said.
“Although we remain concerned about the recent uptick in coronavirus in Texas and continue to question why ‘taking every precaution’ for the health-and-safety of our voters and elections workers does not include requiring all those paid by our taxpayer dollars to wear face masks and to protect themselves and others, this is the most-important election of our lifetimes,” Meehand said. “And as Democrats, this is the cornerstone of who we are to care enough about our community to ensure we have fair and unencumbered elections.”
