With the 2024 election looming, there are many questions to be answered when going to the polls. One of the questions many may not be asking is, who is working at those polls? Luckily for people in Bristol, there will be familiar faces, with many poll workers from previous years coming back to serve again this year.

Town Clerk Melissa Cordeiro said there are 65 poll workers on board for Election Day, with 25 substitute poll workers in case additional workers are needed. “We’ve had a lot of people apply this year, which has been great, and we also have a lot of seasoned poll workers that have come back and are working again this election,” she said.

Cordeiro said that while there have been tensions nationwide around polls and potential disruptions, the poll workers in Bristol are generally optimistic and enthusiastic. In addition, she said that early voters, who have cast thousands of ballots in Bristol in the last couple of weeks, have also been in high spirits.

“The temperament of voters is that they’re excited to be here. They are thanking their poll workers when they’re coming in and out. We have a lot of first-time voters that are coming in. And I have to say that it’s been a great experience so far,” Cordeiro said.

Concerns about the political climate still linger, and police will be on patrol throughout the day on Nov. 5, visiting all eight of Bristol’s polling locations. Clerk David Bettencourt has been highly positive about his experiences so far. A total of two people have come up to him with concerns about their ballots not being counted correctly, and workers immediately stepped in to assist. In addition, if people make mistakes on their ballots or an error occurs, Bettencourt sets them up with a new ballot.

Poll workers Robert Ferris and Luanne Travers have been doing it for years, and both said they do not expect any serious drama this election season.

“This isn’t New York City, Philadelphia, or a swing state, and we all know everybody,” he said. “They’re our neighbors, they’re our friends. They come in, we know them. So, I don’t think anyone should be apprehensive about being a poll worker.”

Both are expecting there to be a very heavy turnout during election day, based on what they have seen so far at the Reynolds School, where early voting is taking place. They both think that this will be an election that everyone will want to have a say in.

While states allow representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties to have representatives for checks and balances during the election, they do not expect Rhode Island to do that due to the Democratic leanings of the state.

On Tuesday, Cordeiro said that more than 3,000 ballots have already been submitted in Bristol so far — about a fifth of all registered voters. She reminded people to make sure they have identification when they come to vote.