While many of the older, longtime election judges decided to forego working the polls on Nov. 3 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, not all of them sat out Election Day this year.
Nellie Brennan, who is 89, was at her familiar post on the second floor of the Riverside Township Hall, serving as an election judge for Riverside’s 4th precinct. Brennan began serving as an election judge in Riverside 50 years ago.
She said that she wasn’t going to let a pandemic keep her away.
“I’m healthy as a horse and strong as a bull. I’m not tired,” Brennan said around 5 p.m. after she had been on the job for about 12 hours. “I’m excited by seeing the people be so dedicated to humanity, to vote and care for our democracy.”
But she wasn’t ignoring the risks presented by the novel coronavirus.
“I’m very concerned,” Brennan said. “I’ve got my mask and my [face] shield.”
Brennan said she also had planned to wear a surgical gown but decided that it was too warm on the second floor of the Riverside Township Hall for that.
