Branden Swyers | Staff Reporter
St.Louis City election workers are once again hard at work in anticipation of Tuesday’s presidential primary. With changes on the Republican side of things, some may ask what motivates the election workers to be at the polls.
Mary Wheeler-Jones, Democratic Director of Elections said, “We have a dedicated group of poll workers who are happy to serve at the polls regardless of the type of election being conducted.”
According to Jones, The Board of Election Commissioners (BOEC) has planned for a 20 percent turnout at Tuesday’s primary. Voters should not expect much of a wait either.
“Be sure to bring some form of identification,” Jones said. “Also, check the voter notification card that was mailed earlier this week to be sure that you are at the correct place.”
Republicans have decided to use only a caucus to determine the winner of their nomination, but Democrats are still using the primary to determine theirs. Many voters have questioned the purpose of the primary due to the circumstances this year.
“The primary is non-binding for the Republican party because they will select their delegates at a caucus,” Jones said. “The primary election is an opportunity for the voters to let their parties know who they would like to see nominated for president.”
President Barack Obama will have history on his side when Tuesday’s vote comes around. History shows that the president has a distinct advantage of being nominated for the Democrats, which is yet another reason why some think the primaries are virtually meaningless.
“The primary process, whether by voters in a jurisdiction or by means of a caucus, is the way in which parties select their candidate for president,” Jones said. “It’s part of our democratic process.”
The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and any registered voter can take part. After the vote is complete, election workers will go right to work on determining the winners.
“When the polls close, teams of roving deputies bring the memory cards from their voting machines down to the BOEC’S office,” Jones said. “The data on the memory cards is downloaded onto a server and tabulated.”
If voters have any questions, they should contact The St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners on their website at www.stlelections.com or by phone at 314-622-4336.
