'I felt very afraid,' recounts poll worker describing hostile voters at primary election

NPR

Published October 10, 2022 at 12:20 PM EDT

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Wandrea ArShaye “Shaye” Moss, former Georgia election worker, wipes her eyes as she testifies during the fourth hearing on the Jan. 6 investigation in the Cannon House Office Building on June 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence for almost a year related to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, is presenting its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building during an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for President Joe Biden. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Many remember Shaye Moss and mother Ruby Freeman, two poll workers in Georgia falsely accused of election fraud. They testified at the Jan. 6 Committee hearings about the abuse they endured.

By one estimate, about a third of poll workers have quit since 2020, leading to a national shortage as the country gears up for the November midterm elections. Among those considering leaving their posts is Massachusetts poll worker Jennifer Rizzo.

She tells Here & Now‘s Robin Young that she experienced hostility from voters who challenged regulations, accused poll workers of preventing people from voting and behaved aggressively during her small town’s June primary.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.