CERA Poll Worker Training and Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What should a poll worker do if a voter's name does not appear in the poll book on Election Day?
- Turn the voter away
- Offer the voter a provisional ballot so their eligibility can be researched after the election (Correct answer)
- Allow the voter to write their name into the poll book
- Call the voter's political party for guidance
Correct answer: Offer the voter a provisional ballot so their eligibility can be researched after the election
HAVA requires that any voter who claims to be registered but is not found in the poll book must be offered a provisional ballot.
Question 2: Which activity is poll workers specifically prohibited from doing inside the polling place?
- Assisting a voter who requests help
- Electioneering — wearing campaign materials or advocating for candidates or ballot measures (Correct answer)
- Operating the accessible voting machine
- Issuing provisional ballots
Correct answer: Electioneering — wearing campaign materials or advocating for candidates or ballot measures
Poll workers must remain strictly neutral; wearing or displaying campaign materials or advocating for candidates inside the polling place constitutes prohibited electioneering.
Question 3: What is a 'closing procedures' reconciliation and why is it important?
- A recount of all absentee ballots
- Comparing the number of ballots issued with the number cast and the number of voters who signed in to ensure all ballots are accounted for (Correct answer)
- A summary of voter turnout sent to the state
- The process of destroying unused ballots
Correct answer: Comparing the number of ballots issued with the number cast and the number of voters who signed in to ensure all ballots are accounted for
Reconciliation at close of polls verifies that ballots issued equal ballots cast plus spoiled or unused ballots, providing an audit trail that can detect errors or irregularities.
Question 4: What is the proper way for a poll worker to assist a voter who requests help marking their ballot?
- Refuse assistance to maintain ballot secrecy
- Provide the requested assistance according to the voter's instructions without influencing the voter's choices, in accordance with state law (Correct answer)
- Ask the voter to return with a family member
- Mark the ballot based on the voter's party registration
Correct answer: Provide the requested assistance according to the voter's instructions without influencing the voter's choices, in accordance with state law
Poll workers must assist voters as requested without steering their choices; the voter directs how their ballot is marked.
Question 5: What does a 'zero tape' or 'zero count report' printed before polls open confirm?
- That the polling place has zero poll workers assigned
- That the voting equipment registers zero votes for all candidates, verifying it starts with no pre-loaded votes (Correct answer)
- That no absentee ballots have been received
- That the voter rolls have been zeroed out for the new election
Correct answer: That the voting equipment registers zero votes for all candidates, verifying it starts with no pre-loaded votes
The zero tape is a printout from the voting machine showing all candidates start at zero, proving no votes were pre-loaded before the election begins.
Question 6: How should poll workers handle a voter who arrives at the polls after the official closing time?
- Allow them to vote regardless of how late they arrive
- Deny entry to all voters who arrive after the official closing time
- Allow voters who are already in line at closing time to vote, but deny entry to anyone who has not yet joined the line (Correct answer)
- Call the election office for a case-by-case decision
Correct answer: Allow voters who are already in line at closing time to vote, but deny entry to anyone who has not yet joined the line
In most jurisdictions, voters who are in line at the time polls close have the right to vote; those who arrive after the polls close and after the line ends are turned away.
CERA Poll Worker Training and Management 2
What should a poll worker do if a voter's name does not appear in the poll book on Election Day?