Doreen Brown credits her dad, Jay Brown, as the one who serves as her inspiration to work the election polls each year.
She was one of dozens of folks picking up election day credentials and equipment as part of Inspector Saturday at the Lake County Government Center.
Brown said in 1988, at the first election at which she was eligible to vote, she told her dad she wasn’t going to vote because she didn’t feel her vote counted.
My dad told me, “your vote does count absolutely and it’s your right and duty.”
Brown, who grew up in Illinois, now lives in Hammond and has worked the polls for more than 15 years.
Others, like Harold Skulte, a St. John poll inspector, expressed similar sentiments.
“I feel like it’s my civic duty,” Skulte said.
Lake County election clerk Kelley Depirro said Saturday is the day set aside for inspectors to come to the Lake County Government Complex.
There are four areas where the inspectors can check in, then get their credentials and equipment.
Included in the information is a list of poll workers, within the inspector’s precinct, of whom they can contact and receive assistance with setting up voting equipment on Monday night, Depirro said.
“The inspectors receive in their bag all the information they need to open their precinct, including the names of their judges and clerks which are all bipartisan,” Depirro said.
Teresa Spann, who will be working at a Griffith precinct on Tuesday, said she also feels it’s her duty to serve as an inspector.
“You have a right to vote and you should act on that,” Spann said.
Michelle Fajman, director of the Lake County Elections, said there are some 345 precincts with inspectors representing each one.
There are some 11 new polling locations at this year’s primary, including the Tri-Creek Administration Office; the Gary Great Band Missionary Baptist Church; the Gary Roosevelt Park Pavilion; the Gary Booker T. Martin Center; the Highland Immanuel Church of Christ; the Lake Station Community Presbyterian Church; the Dyer Bibich Elementary School and the Whiting St. Mary Church.
New this year for the inspectors was training which could be done online or at the Lake County Government Complex, as late as Monday.
Eva Petzel, who will be an inspector working in Crown Point on election day, worked with mechanic Doug Kiser on a practice tutorial at the Lake County Government Complex on Saturday.
The practice tutorial, on a voting machine, is an option especially for first-time inspectors, Depirro said.
“This is beneficial. This is fantastic,” Petzel said.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
