The atmosphere outside of the Southwest Ranches Town Hall precinct was quiet. The air was breezy, the only noise coming from Griffin Road and a clanging flagpole. Some voters wished it were that quiet when they were actually voting.
“[Voting is] good, it’s easy, it’s quick. If everybody in the room – the officials – would not talk,” says Vikki Yarborough in a firm voice. “That’s my biggest beef.”
Yarborough, 58, says the loud chatter of officials who work on Election Day can be distracting.
“They talk all the time, and [when] you gotta read all these amendments or read things, you can’t because… they’re talking to each other.”
According to the Broward County Supervisor of Elections website, Election Day poll workers are required to meet three main criteria: They have to be able to communicate fluently in English, attend a training session, and be registered to vote in Broward County.
Mary Cooney, public services director for Broward County Supervisor of Elections, says she is not aware of a clear-cut rule that talks about noise-level of poll workers, but they are supposed to be considerate of the voters' needs.
For Yarborough, poll workers shouldn’t be so gregarious while voters are doing their civic duty. She’s lived in Southwest Ranches for 30 years, and says she has requested officials to be quiet every time she’s voted.
“I’m glad I do my homework before I come in [to vote]," she says.
