โฒ๏ธŽ This article is more than a year old.

When the polls opened Tuesday, Dollie Kiscadden revived a personal tradition dating back to the early to mid-1960s.

Although she canโ€™t quite remember the exact year, the 93-year-old Cleona resident has served as a poll worker for around 60 years.

โ€œMy husband Henry and I had always worked the polls and I remember that the first one was a presidential election,โ€ said Kiscadden, who added that she has continued that tradition even after her husband passed away 21 years ago. โ€œWhen the workers tallied the votes, we wrote them on a large piece of paper, marked them down manually.โ€

Kiscadden is always happy to serve as a poll worker because she is an American who appreciates the right to vote.

โ€œI do this because it is my duty,โ€ says Kiscadden who is quite frank when she speaks and just as feisty. In fact, she adamantly refused to be photographed for this article.

โ€œIโ€™ve lived in America all these years, itโ€™s been good to me,” she said. “I feel like I should do something, and if they are willing to put up with me, then I am glad to see the people (voters) and make them feel like they are at home.โ€

Kiscadden said sheโ€™d be at the polls early today — arriving around 5:45 a.m. to prepare to receive voters at the Cleona precinct, which is the only precinct she has served. During the day today, she will be majority inspector — although thatโ€™s not the only duty sheโ€™ll perform until the polls close at 8 p.m.

โ€œI do the book after they (the voters) sign in and I do the tablets,โ€ said Kiscadden. โ€œIf someone takes a lunch break, I donโ€™t operate the machines but I will talk to the people to help get them settled in (to vote). At the end of the day, we stay until everything is completed and taken into the municipal building.โ€

Kiscadden downplayed her contributions and preferred to give the credit to others.

โ€œItโ€™s nothing spectacular,โ€ she said about what she does. โ€œThere are those who are on the board who do far more than I do. They are very, very good at what they do and are very congenial.โ€

Kiscadden, a Cleona native who still lives in the house in which she was born, is able to serve her community as a poll worker — despite her age — because she maintains an active lifestyle.

She works twice a month at Lebanon-based DB Fisher to โ€œhelp with the books.โ€ She has been employed by the transportation company for many years, and was a bus driver until her late 50s or early 60s. She doesnโ€™t consider herself โ€œretiredโ€ either, since she assists with the companyโ€™s bookkeeping on a monthly basis.

โ€œI am the oldest person in the neighborhood,โ€ she says about where she lives, which is in the 300 block of East Maple Street between Christian and Cyrus streets. โ€œThere are young people who have gotten married that are my neighbors who I used to drive to school on the school bus.โ€

It takes a great deal of stamina and dedication to work so many hours on Election Day, and not everyone is as up to the task as Kiscadden.

โ€œIโ€™ve worked where some have come in for the first time to work and by lunchtime they say, โ€˜This is it, this is it. Itโ€™s too long,โ€™โ€ Kiscadden said. โ€œBut Iโ€™ve never gotten involved in any of that. I donโ€™t know, maybe I am just a dumb Dutchman.โ€

When told that she isnโ€™t dumb, just patriotic, Kiscadden immediately responds: โ€œI donโ€™t know. But I do know I wonโ€™t be going to the White House, I can tell you that,โ€ she added, laughingly. โ€œIโ€™ll just be patriotic here on Maple Street.โ€

One subject thatโ€™s no laughing matter to Kiscadden is the right to participate in the election process. She said she has only missed one election and that was due to an unavoidable situation.

โ€œI vote in every election and have only missed one time after having eye surgery,โ€ she explained.

Although the technology at the polling place has been enhanced over the years, the most noticeable change with elections, according to Kiscadden, isnโ€™t about modern technology.

โ€œI think it has changed from being about the personโ€™s personality to party, and thatโ€™s my consensus,โ€ says Kiscadden. โ€œYou donโ€™t hear anything about their personality, about what theyโ€™ve done or what they want to do if elected, itโ€™s too much about the party.โ€

Despite the โ€œpoliticsโ€ that pervade todayโ€™s political landscape, Kiscadden believes that elections are conducted โ€œvery, very fairlyโ€ and that people should vote in every election.

โ€œIโ€™m not one to argue politics,โ€ adds Kiscadden. โ€œVoting is your God-given right and as long as you are mentally able to, then thatโ€™s up to you to do it. You only need to hope that you did the right thing.โ€

Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and weโ€™ll do our best to get back to you.

Support local journalism.

Cancel anytime.

Monthly

๐ŸŒŸ Annual

Already a member? Login here

Free news isnโ€™t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

James Mentzer is a freelance writer and lifelong resident of Pennsylvania. He has spent his professional career writing about agriculture, economic development, manufacturing and the energy and real estate industries, and is the county reporter and a features writer for LebTown. James is an outdoor...

Comments

LebTown membership required to comment.

Already a member? Login here

Leave a comment

Your email address will be kept private.