Melynn Huntley and Sonya Letson

00:05 Hi, my name is Melinda Hartley. I am 63 years old. Today is Thursday December 10th. 2020. I'm in Amarillo, Texas. I'm here today speaking with Sonya letson. She's my friend, and I'm so happy to hear it.

00:24 Hi, my name is Sonya Wesson. And I am 63 years old next week. So that's another thing we have in common today's date is Thursday, December 10th. I am currently located outside of Claude Texas. We have a cabin at a ranch there. And that's where I am today and I am here with my friend. Melynn Huntley and we are excited to be here to talk about the elections in our experience.

00:57 Show Millennium, you know, this was such a momentous year. I know that you as the election administrator for Potter County or Amarillo is located prepare for some things that we're going to happen during this election. What what problems did you anticipate and prepare for going? Well, we were we were wanting to make but he stays for a better to have that we needed to have a safe one of the challenges with that one was that in the state of Texas. It may be several. I don't know we could not require phone.

01:43 Would you get the support of our County Commissioners and set an election because a burger cannot be arrested during to or from a coincide therefore if we were in somebody chose to not wear them and then we have to allow them to vote before they chip or anything else there for a while, but we were really determined to make sure that they don't mind going and then there was some outside groups that we met with depression.

02:43 Voter intimidation in the potential as having someone with you.

02:51 And so part of what we did was to have a plan and prepare and and have a waitress.

03:00 Did you end up with any of those cars go and hold their horn down the entire distance of the property as they would go by so they were we didn't have anything that looks to be totally organized. We did not have any guns at the polling site in intestines.

03:35 You can carry again a lot of places, but when he was even if you had and so we had a few people that forget that nobody who deliberately went in there.

03:56 Bathroom I saw some of that electioneering in 400 feet of the polling site.

04:12 But some of those Caravans of people on motorcycles with flags and I did go by and it had on a hat shirt above something that endorsing candidate barely, some people don't know some people.

04:47 So they were asked to remove everything and with a little bit of enforcement thing. You did something unusual. I think we're something you'd never been able to do and that was have because of funding you got you have some security Personnel at each polling site. How did that come about? Well, we there was a branch and it was it's a mess and it would have her security and honestly that saved our skins because people over there and so we were

05:44 Election properly and just causing the presence of some deputies there just shut the whole thing down because someone's watching you.

05:58 Do something. They're not supposed to do an appalling side either a shout out to whoever just having law enforcement say I made it so that our workers could actually focus on

06:26 Was there any concern from egroups in town about that being an intimidating factor for both there are those that you and they are uneasy and we do not want in any way for a boater to not vote or he still didn't feel to feel like they couldn't vote the way they wanted because it was law enforcement fear and but our deputies work with us. We didn't want them.

07:05 To be just friends.

07:08 Yes my experience in in both locations that I worked was that they they took a background roll and they were they were available. Generally they weren't upfront. I actually like the up-front doorkeeper kind of role because I like interacting with people as they came in and and trying to get there, you know their mood and make them feel good about being the most people were very happy to be spelling manners.

07:58 Yes, and we didn't have in my experience which was not every day of early voting. But in my experience we didn't have very many one of the first envelope disgruntled. Most people were perfectly good and I really meant that we didn't have people just pile up on top of each other generally remind me some lines are all of that. Well people in general were just happy to be there and

08:41 I was really pleased with how I was not hard.

08:55 There has to be some things that you did not anticipate and adapt to on the Fly and when is the post office would get there. And I realize that we are just a little place in the postmaster office instead you want to work closely with you actually work. So if he was making the postal carrier check all of the boxes at the last minute to make sure that he got every ballot in should be considered.

09:47 And so didn't anticipate that it was going to be a problem. So we had a person would change about you saw that in the polls, but another had received about right now. Is that good for you?

10:07 That we had not really said it was going to be that big of a deal but it did create some turtle thing that I did not anticipate was that second week?

10:28 And at the point if that happened so suddenly I am down 40% fewer staff in my office. We worked it out where we could run team three that were left.

10:50 And no one to come to the store. So we had to create what we would call elections and we're trying to prepare dinner when I was thinking about what would happen with her. So if it was and we needed somebody and they were out so we have done that. We had some of our trainings for election workers. We have set up an office on first floor.

11:36 That is it turned out. We borrowed employees from another building to facilitate their we did not anticipate. However,

11:51 And with only five people in your office into out with covid-19.

12:02 Frantically trying to do everything they needed to do and

12:06 They did they did it. It's in fact, I don't think anybody in town ever knew what had happened. They did not and we didn't want I want to know the impression that we went in. So now it was not widely known that we were dealing with you because I have been going to every first thing every morning temperature and paperwork to make sure that all of our fitted my place in that robe and so we were still able to keep that was a great experience Here. I Am the

13:06 My first time election worker and I learned that you have covid-19 calm Dior Chief Deputy assistant and said, what can I do to just tell me she said I don't know. I'll get back with you. So the next day she said can you come and do these round? I said, I don't know anything about it. I'll be happy to do she gave me breathe instructions from the distance of about I'm going to say

13:32 10 yards away and you and I look a little alike were about the same height wear glasses and a pair of shorts and I would go in the polling sites and some of the newer workers would say there's melin again and it was not you it was me they would tell me technical things and I say I'm not maloom. I don't know what that means. But tell me and I'll tell Kristi so that it was a it was a great experience. I really did love doing it. I love doing working at the polling site greeting the voters and checking them in and answering questions when they use the machine being a poll worker to me with extremely rewarding. So, what did you hear? What did the voters? I know you hear comments from the vote.

14:35 Voters are wanting to tell you how they're going to vote. If you know, you know occasionally it be real direct and and I said, you know, we don't talk about that here but most voters are real low-key. They just want to come in they want to get their voting done and they're happy to get it done and and they're happy that it's as easy as we make it. One thing that voters did ask a few times was where is the straight-ticket button and Texas has repealed that long. So this was the first election without a straight-ticket off.

15:35 It didn't seem to you to me and I did not work the first week of early voting when there were longer lines, but in the second and third weeks of early voting there was always generally a machine available at the location where I worked and it didn't slow the process down. I can tell though that there were people who voted for in one or two races and then

16:00 Castor Mountain what do all the way down the races to even making the rounds in the morning that I love so much because of being with the League of Women Voters. We produce a voters guide and we produce it online as well as in paper. And this election. We did a huge roll out of voter guides 10,000 copies.

16:44 So one morning when I went on the round, one of the election judges who knew I was with the league said yes a lady came in yesterday with her but her side and I asked her.

16:56 Have you read through that and she said no, I'm going to do it while I vote for my God for 30 minutes. He said she would read all the candidates responses cast The Ballot in that race Turn the Page and do it for the next race and went through the entire ballot with her. But I told my board I said, there you go. You see how important that was. Although most people do actually read Market before they come and we have been working since August is in our office skipping lunch at trying to get everybody registered. It was just

17:49 It was not an easy election and very logical regarding restroom. And then.

18:16 We like you had to adapt in many ways in the spring before covering hip we were in every high school. They let us teach classes and register the eligible seniors. We were in grocery stores. We were all over town.

18:32 When covid hip

18:35 We had to figure out how are we going to register people to vote? When in Texas you cannot do that online. You must have a paper registration form with your signature on it original signature.

18:53 Exactly. So it's you can you can mail somebody a form or send him Cinema form for email, but they have to sign it and mail it back. So we always relied on in person voter registration events and we had to scramble to figure out how we going to do this. Well at first it look like we wouldn't but then we adapted we should yes we are but we're going to do them all outdoors. And that's what we did. We went outdoors from August through the deadline of October 5th held 35 events before we were in 11 high schools this time for of them. Let us come to a either a huge room or an outdoor space. But otherwise we were always outdoors and we still

19:46 In the face of covid-19 to get about a thousand people registered in that timeframe. The main reason for that though was we decided we would set up outside the three election offices in Marquette County area on the deadline and we pushed and pushed the message that October 5th is the deadline and that they alone you're registered 440 people to vote. So adapting to the outdoor voter registration was a key. I would not want to go through that again just because it limits the windows slow and we would advocate for online voter registration in Texas as is available in most States because that would make it so much easier for people to be able to register.

20:46 Yes, and amen. Make it better for our offices voter registration today and figure out what he has and there's so many people who register to vote and they possibly have that right because if so, I definitely agree that

21:21 I think in this legislative session when Texas legislature goes into session in January voting issues voting rights issues election law issues will definitely be top-of-mind. Perhaps behind the budget shortfall but there's a lot to look at and in terms of your office, I know online registration would be one thing with was there anything else you thought that was a big one for me? If I look at what they are closing in A legislature a lot of it seems to be there looking for only have about four hundred and

22:18 But I know there's just concerned that we have a lot of

22:24 That bothers me to finish it because what I know is an election official is that we can it happen in Mass. It's very difficult for off and because of all the checks and everything else like that get stopped before their photos of both represent in and we did and then I turned it over to the attorney general and even that person did not but what they voted one place in another County and then made it.

23:10 Claim residency in butt and so give me that that's what we do. But I want anything less likely to help instill better conferences.

23:24 Because what we're looking at now is a nation where some people are just like yeah, it's just it's all great. And this was totally fun. And so I would like to find ways to bridge that Gap so that people Trust

23:48 I felt like as an election worker seeing everything that's done.

23:54 Steps you as an administrator take and we as workers take a high level of confidence of the election and that's so much mistrust with sewn. I think it's

24:10 Trulia Prejudice in the real thing that we are going to suffer from and the batter doesn't understand that if it was done it was done correctly and that it is very hard on what you learned a lot of things but it is very difficult to get that message out.

24:49 I was impressed by the quality of Desire of the election workers that I worked with and they rotated through the warrant the same everyday their desire to make sure things were done right to the only allow people to vote who were eligible to vote to make sure all record-keeping was proper. You know, I I just think that showing that mistrust does a great disservice to administrators who really do want to do this, right? Yes, and no I'll just I heard from some people that they think that some of the vote and change someone else and where we are is by Mark the same system.

25:45 That was present in 2016 Nationwide that elected president is the same system just elected and so, you know if we had confidence in it.

26:02 And if we have confidence in the results, let's say in Texas where a different person. The majority of the votes. Why why don't we have confidence in the vote? I don't know and it knows I just cracked my head because I don't know, but I know that and so that's where it starts and so no one just goes out in the end. Will you also texting?

26:41 And we only have three companies here that I could meet but in general with all of them one voter one touch and that is what everyone.

26:56 That's right, and that and that and when there is an issue, you can spot it. That's the thing about we can yeah, we know when there's people who check in Nicki Minaj number people are some things that that we have to look for it so you can hear the signature person with a signature the person who voted to it. It's amazing to me all the hubbub over voting by mail, which of course has been around since the Civil War and which you have conducted many many elections were people vote by mail and there never was much concerned about one of those were going to count properly. Did you see in this election you say?

27:56 That there were people who wanted to turn them in instead of mailing them out of concern to the post office. But did you see an increase overall in ballots by mail? We did in the dark by mail because part of it was at campaigns and or cats sitting out applications to people who are eligible to see an increase there, but we also

28:27 Wheat we get definitely started in any priests and people that sometimes I didn't know but we also had always on the phone is saying because it really was the killer in this election and so are that worried voters that vote these stories that really affected when taxes are largely over 65 years old.

29:07 And there was a move, of course to expand the pool to anyone who wanted to vote by mail because of the fear of Contracting common that litigation, of course God. Started fairly early as we saw what covid was going to do because we had a runoff election in July in the midst of enterococcus was informed that she was not considered a disability and that was that was hard for people who are yep and Texas is very strict on voting by mail unlike most so 65 or older or disabled or incarcerated or going to be out of the county on Election Day.

30:07 Expanded it would it would have been really hard for us because just with our increased numbers we did not have a capacity with white workintexas scalable present form and so had they expanded said hey anyone can we would have been looking for you? And I'm looking for a home?

30:44 It's one of those things that needs to be looked at in the state of Texas. I'm just glad that they didn't do it at the eleventh hour.

30:55 Yes, I think I agree with you about that that we do need to look at expanding accessibility about by mail allow more people find it difficult for health reasons. If you think about the young mother with two small children need to be in a relationship there because we supposed to choose between exercise my right to vote.

31:39 And you should be able to do.

31:42 Absolutely should be able to do but we can learn so much from other states to make voting easier.

31:50 Voting deadline to register

32:03 What do you see you'll be looking at new elections in by a probably going to text here. It's 9 minutes. It will be by your efforts with leeuwen embarrassment with a leg here. What are your new goals?

32:34 We of course are hoping to continue doing what we do, but we shift a little bit right now to advocacy. So this morning I had a interview by Zoom with one of our state legislators to find out what his priorities are for the session in the see where he stands on the focus now on advocacy issues such as voting rights.

33:05 About next year and into the following year. He indicated he didn't know when they might begin to talk about redistricting because we don't know yet. When The Simpsons number. That's how we that's how we do it in the short-term. But we also will look at the May election registered voter for that and try to get butterscotch out for those candidates. If it never really stopped it. Somebody said now you get to rest a little I'm sure they said that to you and I know not revealing so I do have another question for you when you're out registering people. Did you identify a particular particular group that we're not rich was better that needs to be addressed.

34:00 We began to meet the need of high school seniors last spring and we were developing our technique on that. I want to strenuously work on that. We wanted we we want to meet the needs of college students that there's lots of people between the age of 18 and 26. They're not in high school or college and I think there's a gap there that online would help fill because these kids are doing this on the new everything online. So I think we can do messaging and yep to them if we had online voter registration, but in terms of in person or Gap is again going to be the young boat, but as you saw the youth vote increased voting it in our area really did increase and

34:54 I'd like to figure out why I want to go back into the data because because we know we have a talkative eighteen-year-old which is significant part of the reason for the closest location for from there. And I was told my son that they were not interested in formation because I did not want to give any trying to find to encourage kiss about one way or the other.

35:50 Because we have numbers that we didn't text. So but we have never done this before letting League chapters down site that actually work with their districts to promote a field trip for voting and I want in with are superintendents and State win this be great if they might be Boulder City elections are afraid they can't do it so they should be able to go. Maybe you need to start the

36:48 We are getting some college students working on League's things for us at the University and low for college. And so yeah, I think a high school league is also a great idea.

37:00 That's good. That's good. And that is always better with with Technologies in.

37:20 Oh, that's exactly right. I feel the same way. But you know after a few times we usually get it even as old as we are.

37:28 Yes. Yes. No, everything is so easy to do and then we look at what we

37:41 What went well what we can find you and make it better and I am very pleased with the reliability of Barrett. And that is the one thing that at the end of the day. That's what matters.

38:01 I agree with you and I feel like Whitney got it, right and in spite of all the difficulties you work away to people and still haven't you process all the Galaxy?

38:37 Yes, how much support do you get from the Commissioner's Court if you decide when it's going to be hard and so it we needed extra workers for that. We had a lot of things cost at the election added cost. It were brought on by.

39:22 I think you and I probably both will be glad to see this Go On by and a lot of people at the Great.

39:37 Experience learn so much and realize what we can overcome I agree and I think that's the important thing is it has made is made stronger and we realize that we we can get these things done and we can

39:56 Thank you, my friend so much.

40:04 That's right. I can stand in anytime as long as people see me from the back.