Terri DeCosta applied for the job because she had retired and finally had the time.

Diane Egge applied because she was looking to give back to her community.

And Al Schrade applied because he always had an interest in the election process and wanted to see how it worked, from the inside out. 

The dozens of election workers in Barrington have various reasons for stepping forward to fill their posts. But, as Barrington Town Clerk Merrie DeSisto will attest, each person plays a very important role. 

DeSisto said the town is always looking to hire more election workers, and is making a big push now to recruit additional staff for the Nov. 2024 election. They are anticipating a big turn-out. 

“We have to put on extra supervisors while they’re checking people. We have to have extra greeters and all our board members are so involved. Our board members are fantastic. There’s a board member, during early voting, every single day here (in the Barrington Town Hall) to protect what’s going on upstairs, because I can’t be in two places at once,” DeSisto said. “I’ve demanded that of them, and they’ve succeeded.”

DeSisto has also tasked Deputy Clerk Stephanie Bernardo and other staff to help with the recruitment effort. 

“It’s not just Steph, it’s this entire staff. We’re very lean here, very, very lean. So, I do have a part-timer who takes care of the paperwork, the mail ballots. Michele (Cross) has to take care of it as well. It is a group effort. And Stephanie, she is the deputy clerk. She has to give her all recruiting these poll workers. She does a wonderful job,” DeSisto said. 

The work can be very rewarding, said some of the people who were manning the town hall poll during early voting late last month. 

“I do it to give back, now that I’m retired, with time on my hands,” Egge said.  “And I get to see friends I haven’t seen for a long time. I enjoy doing it. I’ve done it maybe 10, 12 years. Even when I was working, I would work on the big election day.”

Egge said she enjoys working the half-days now. 

“This fits my needs,” she said. “My husband’s still home. He’s 87. Half-days work for me. Whole days are tough.”

DeCosta said this is her second year serving as an election worker in Barrington. Before she retired from her full-time job, she did not have enough time to work the polls, she said. But now it’s a good fit for her.

“And it’s pretty fascinating to see how the system works,” DeCosta said.

That was part of the reason Schrade applied for the job.

“Number one is to give back to the community, but I’ve always had an interest in the election process and that it be fair and equitable and that things be done right and so forth,” said Schrade, who also serves on the Barrington Board of Canvassers. “When you sit here and you see the process — because there are people who question things — what happens here is very by-the-book, everything is very accurate. The numbers that come through are all correct… the board of elections will make sure of that. 

“It’s fair. Everything is done appropriately.”

DeSisto anticipated there would be about 40 to 50 election workers staffing the different polls in Barrington on Nov. 7. She said the town will need about 60 for the Nov. 2024 election. She said the town also needs to build a list of alternates. 

“We fulfill our need, but we also want some extras,” DeSisto said. “I arrive at 5:30 on election morning, and sometimes you get people who call up and say ‘I have the sniffles.’ OK, I have alternates. That’s pretty important to have alternate poll workers.”

Interested in applying?

Anyone who is interested in applying to be an election worker in Barrington should stop by the Town Hall and pick up an application. People can also call the Town Hall at 247-1900. The job pays $15 per hour in Barrington. Following are some of the requirements and restrictions for election workers in Rhode Island:

• They must be registered to vote in Rhode Island

• They must be able to read the Rhode Island Constitution in English

• They must be able to write their own name

• They cannot be a convicted felon

• They must attend a training class 

• High school students are eligible to work at the polls if they are at least 16 years old, a junior or senior, have a GPA of at least 2.5, and receive permission from school officials.