After the last vote has been tallied

GRANT COUNTY — Nelle Fuller can remember working in a fire hall in Cascade Valley that didn't have bathrooms or running water.

Fuller was a poll worker in Grant County for about 45 years. She later worked at the Grant County Fairgrounds Grange Hall that had more modern conveniences. But technologies have changed quite a bit since Fuller first started working at the polls.

"When I started on a counting board," Fuller remembered, "all day and all night, sometimes the next day, before we'd got through counting."

Fuller was one of many who have worked as poll workers in Grant County on election days, and was one of more than 60 honored Wednesday with a lunch at that same Grange Hall during the Grant County Fair. The county's recent switch to all-mail elections will mean those workers will not be handing out and counting ballots at schools and community halls this November. Fuller said she is going to miss working at the polls, and will miss seeing voters and fellow poll workers at her precinct this fall.

"I sure am," she said, "I'm going to really miss the people."

Grant County is one of about 30 Washington counties which have switched to all-mail balloting, and Grant County Auditor Bill Varney said others will vote on proposals this fall. Wednesday's lunch was put on by the Grant County Elections Office through donations from local businesses, and the workers were honored with certificates and pins for their years of service.

Varney read letters during the lunch from some workers who couldn't make it to the event; some workers highlighted their many calls with questions to Varney. Still others recalled incidents such as when specific voters would hit their head each time they stepped through the voting booth.

The longest serving workers were presented with flowers, and at least seven serving poll workers had been at their jobs for 40 years or more. The longest-serving election worker present was Enid Clay, who helped out at the polls for 55 years in Grant County.

"It was interesting to see the people and meet the people that came," Clay said of her many election days.

Clay and her fellow workers brought food to the polls on election day, and would feed whoever came in the doors. She said it's going to be different now without those polling places.

"I've already had people tell me they're going to miss it, coming in," she said.

Wanda Hirst knew most every voter at her polling place, she said especially in the early years. Hirst worked as a poll worker in Electric City for approximately 50 years.

Retha Myers was also a longtime poll worker. Working out of the Ephrata City Hall, Myers said she just enjoyed working with both the voters and the other workers.

"I enjoyed it," she said. "Sometimes it was so busy, other times we didn't have much to do."

Grant County Commissioner Deborah Moore recalled the polling places in her district as a social event where people gathered to see each other and bring food.

"I have such fond memories of going to my polling place," Moore said, "and not only seeing my pollsters, but my neighbors."

Varney, too, said he was going to miss working with each of the poll workers. Some election workers over the years, Varney said, have arranged vacations and family events around election day.

"It was a nice way to get out and meet people," Varney said, "I'm going to miss that a lot."