In Pursuit of Happiness and Supporting the Essence of Democracy: Volunteering as an Election Judge

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The founders of the fledgling government adopted by the United States of America wrote a Declaration of Independence that identified the pursuit of happiness, along with life and liberty, as an “unalienable right.” Indeed, the framers appeared to assert that a new system of government was not only called for, but necessary, in order for happiness to be allowed to germinate and bloom. This government, a representative democracy, applies the rule of law equally to all citizens; protects its citizens’ human rights; requires the active participation of its citizens; and follows a procedure for choosing and replacing its representatives through free and fair elections. Two of these core tenets – active participation of citizens, and the administration of free and fair elections – come together in the voting process. 

As a practitioner of positive psychology, I have an abiding interest in promoting – in myself and in others – psychological well-being, one measure of which is happiness. One of the ways that I achieve well-being for myself, and at the same time help uphold the core tenets of our government for all of our citizens, is to serve as a chief election judge for a precinct where I live in Montgomery County, Maryland.

In Maryland, we have the opportunity to participate as election workers every two years; one election cycle consists of a primary and a general election. I have served in the capacity of a chief election judge since 2016. As a chief judge, I am paired with a co-chief of a different party, and we are assigned a multi-partisan team of trained election judges, with whom we work to run our precinct according to state law. Chiefs are responsible for deploying the team to set up the assigned voting center, opening and closing the polls on time, ensuring that all stations in the voting center are staffed, completing all required paperwork, addressing issues as they arise, and packing everything up securely to be sent back to the Board of Elections after the polls close. Election Day starts before dawn and ends long after dark. It’s not necessarily fun, and at times can be downright frustrating, but overall, I find it immensely fulfilling.

The Mechanism Behind the Satisfaction: What’s Going On?

When I examined the reasons for this fulfillment in terms of Positive Psychology, it became clear that my service as a chief election judge contributes to my well-being in several ways:

The first strength that I exercise as an election judge is Fairness. My team of fellow judges and I are committed to enabling everyone who is eligible to vote to do so, regardless of their political views and whether or not we agree with them. All are treated with the same courtesy, professionalism, friendliness, and access. There is even a process for allowing people who may not be eligible, but want to vote, to do so. Provisional voting allows us to collect all the information to enable the Board of Elections to decide, post-election, whether a provisional vote ultimately counts. This ensures that no voter who wants to vote is turned away.

The second strength is Judgment. The long day of voting provides many opportunities for chiefs to exercise judgment. What to do when a piece of equipment malfunctions? How to deal with voters who refuse to put their cellphone away (since they are not allowed to use them in the voting room)?  When do we need to call the Board of Elections Help Desk? How do we regroup when a member of the team gets sick and needs to go home early? Knowing and following the rules helps with most situations we encounter, but questions always arise that cannot be anticipated ahead of time. 

The third strength is Gratitude. I express gratitude to my co-chief and the individuals on our hard-working team. We thank the people who come into our precinct to cast their ballot. Voters themselves will often say to us, “thanks for doing what you do” or “thanks for your service.”  The Board of Elections, as an entity and through its representatives, frequently expresses its appreciation for the volunteers who take on roles to carry out elections. And I am grateful that my state of Maryland provides a number of alternative ways that a vote can be cast (either in person on Election Day, through early voting, voting by mail, or by drop box). 

  • Working as a chief judge makes me feel that I matter and allows me to help others feel that they matter.  Mattering is the experience that one is valued and can also add value (Prilleltensky, 2019). Feeling valued entails feeling appreciated, respected, and recognized. See above regarding the strength of Gratitude for the appreciation aspect. As for adding value, we election judges are assigned the responsibility to run a voting center in a precinct, and without our collective efforts, that simply would not happen. As a chief judge, I work to make our team successful by facilitating their ability to carry out their responsibilities, pointing out how their efforts add value, and reinforcing that they matter.

  • Being a chief election judge also enhances my well-being because prosocial behavior fulfills my basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness as explained by self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000). I choose to contribute my skills and time to help make our democracy work, demonstrating my autonomy. I train and study to become adept at my role, and with each election cycle I gain more experience, which enables my competence. Seeing neighbors and local friends coming in to vote, sharing the excitement of first-time voters, and giving out “Thank you for voting” stickers contribute to feelings of relatedness. Moreover, I feel connected to the larger community of election workers who donate their time, not only in my precinct, county, or state, but nationwide. Further research has shown that beneficence (the sense of being able to give) also helps to explain the increase in well-being that results from an intrinsic motivation to act prosocially (Martela & Ryan, 2015).

The Dark Side of Working the Elections, and the Strengths Needed to Carry On

But there is a dark side to the business of election judging these days. Since the 2020 election, we have seen election workers become political targets, voters’ rights and access to elections curtailed, and questions about the integrity of the elections themselves. Election denialism, the assumption that an election was not legitimate if your candidate lost, has fueled an unprecedented level of harassment and threats toward election workers in some parts of the country, as exemplified by the mother-daughter pair of election workers in Fulton County, Georgia, who appeared at the June 21, 2022, hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. New conspiracy theories that try to make the case for rigged voting machines, inflated voter rolls, and ballots flown in from other places arise as quickly as the old conspiracy theories are debunked, as reported by the elected Republican recorder of Maricopa County, Arizona. Arizona also is dealing with endless legal challenges to their electoral process, challenges that are being filed in other states as well. And these dark trends are likely to continue well into the future: In the 2022 midterm elections, a majority of Republican candidates on the ballot for the House, Senate, and key state-level offices, nearly 300 in all, are election deniers who, if elected, could potentially be in positions of power to undermine democratic institutions such as the electoral process. These attacks on and threats to the fragile fabric of our democracy have caused many who would otherwise have volunteered to work the polls to decide against signing up, and those who do sign up to fear, legitimately, for their safety. 

Despite these circumstances –  and perhaps because of them – I feel more committed than ever to my election judge service. In fact, I see it as a calling. These threats have only increased my determination to do my part to help ensure the soundness of the process and the access of voters.

But what additional skills and strengths are needed to continue serving in this fraught climate? I would propose that we election workers develop and use these strengths (VIA Institute on Character, n.d.):

  • Bravery. Falling under the broad virtue category of Courage, the VIA Strength of Bravery is described as “acting on one’s convictions, and facing threats, challenges, difficulties, and pain, despite doubts and fears.” Concurrent with this should be efforts by Boards of Election to protect and keep their election workers safe.

  • Perseverance. This is described as the “persistence toward goals despite obstacles, discouragements, or disappointments.” I believe that no jurisdiction will be immune to the influences of election denialism, and thus we all need to prepare for the challenges that some are already facing.

  • Hope. This strength is characterized as being “realistic and also full of optimism about the future, believing in one’s actions and feeling confident things will turn out well.” Realistic optimism entails seeing the situation as it is, and preparing for whatever outcomes may arise, but expecting and working toward the outcome you most want. 

Taken together, these strengths and others that help us develop our ability to deal with and learn from adversity form the skill of Resilience. The best thing about resilience is that it can be learned, but the skills and strengths that lead to resilient thinking and behaviors must be practiced. The site www.viacharacter.org is a good place to start learning about how to apply and practice the character strengths that build resilience.

Eudaimonic Happiness Results From Pursuits of Meaning and Purpose 

So with all of this in mind, I return to this notion of the “pursuit of Happiness.” Viktor Frankl (1985) said that “happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.…” Frankl’s observation calls to mind the difference between hedonic happiness, the experience of pleasure and enjoyment, and eudaimonic happiness, well-being that comes from the pursuit of meaning and purpose. To be sure, I don’t serve as a chief election judge because it's all fun; while there are aspects of it that I enjoy, I don't love the long hours, the frustration of malfunctioning equipment, difficult voters, or the endless paperwork. And I really don’t love the idea that my fellow election judges and I could be threatened while carrying out our service. But I do love the idea of being part of a larger effort to preserve our democracy, and find great meaning in working together with a trained and dedicated team to achieve a goal of safe, secure, and free elections. 

References:

Frankl, V. E. (1985). Man's search for meaning. Simon and Schuster.

Martela, F., & Ryan, R. M. (2016). The benefits of benevolence: Basic psychological needs, beneficence, and the enhancement of well‐being. Journal of Personality, 84(6), 750-764.

Prilleltensky, I. (2020). Mattering at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and politics. American Journal of Community Psychology, 65(1-2), 16-34.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68.

The 24 character strengths. VIA Institute On Character. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths 

About the Author: Karen F. Deppa, MAPP (C’15), is principal of PilotLight Resilience Resources, through which she has developed a class called Respond with Resilience™ to help prevent behavioral health problems in the emergency services community. She is lead author of the 2016 Springer e-book Resilience Training for Firefighters: An Approach to Prevent Behavioral Health Problems. Karen and her family live on a farm in rural Montgomery County, Maryland. Karen is an Associate Editor of MAPP Magazine.