A Cleveland Poll Worker Shares Why Voting Is So Important

Exercising the right to vote is part of the American experience. No one understands that better than Lisa Cech, vice president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, who has proudly served as a poll worker since 2002. We asked her why voting is so important.

My father was a newsman, so he always drove home the importance of taking responsibility for the country’s government. I was so excited to vote for the first time. I felt like such a grown-up. Voting is the foundation of democracy and, as an American, it’s both a privilege and an obligation. As a poll worker, Election Day is really, really long. We get there at 5:30 a.m. and don’t leave until all the votes are tallied, which is usually 8 or 9 p.m. But it’s important work — if people can’t get in to vote quickly and efficiently, that defeats the purpose of the whole thing. In 2018, there were four elections in Cuyahoga County that were decided by a coin flip. Every vote in every election can make a huge difference. Whether you like the direction of the country or not, get out there and vote to make your voice heard.  — As told to Kevin Carpenter