Joplin poll worker retires after more than 30 years

Nov. 7—CARTHAGE, Mo. — In the middle of the stress of counting the ballots from a historic election Tuesday, employees of the Jasper County clerk's office took time out to applaud Joplin resident Edith Triplett.

A poll worker at the polling site for Joplin precincts 2 and 3, she worked her last election after more than 30 years of service.

Triplett said she has been there so long that no one can remember when exactly her first election was.

"Nobody seems to know what year I started," Triplett said in an interview Tuesday at the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage. "I just remember we were at the Nazarene Church and then we moved to the Royal Heights Methodist Church and I've been there ever since. It's been 32 or 33 years. I'm trying to remember by which kids I had at the time."

Jasper County Clerk Charlie Davis called Triplett's service to the county invaluable and said she will be missed.

"She has worked at the Joplin 2 and 3 at Royal Heights United Methodist Church for as long as I can remember, and she's retiring this year," Davis said. "She was a fantastic poll worker, she was very knowledgeable, very well informed, and she just worked real hard. There's going to be a big void left at the polling location and a big void left in my heart because I really care for her and her husband, George, who actually worked the poll with her this time. It was heartbreaking when she let me know she was going to retire after this election."

Triplett said two friends, Dora and Don Crites, got her involved in being a poll worker. Even though she can't remember exactly when she started, she remembers her first presidential election in 1996, between Democrat Bill Clinton, seeking a second term, and Republican Bob Dole, of Kansas.

"That was so overwhelming I thought I was going to quit then," Triplett said. "It was just the amount of people that came out and the long lines. Today, we really didn't have long lines, but we were constant. People flooded us at 6 a.m., and it settled down around 7:30 a.m. They just kept coming and coming. I consider this a community service."

In 2009, Triplett, along with Joy Stinnett, of Webb City, and Minnie Owen, of Joplin, were honored with the poll worker awards by then-County Clerk Bonnie Earl for "going above and beyond the call of duty" as poll workers.

At the time, Earl said she wondered whether Triplett ever sat down during her long days of duty.

The three received lapel pins and certificates from Robin Carnahan, Missouri secretary of state at the time. The award was started by Carnahan to honor residents who help in elections.

Triplett said she has enjoyed her time as a poll worker and that she really didn't have a reason for retiring other than "I'm getting old."

Davis said his office is always recruiting people to become poll workers. During most smaller elections, he will spread 192 poll workers over 46 polling places across the county.

"People volunteer to become a poll worker, and we train them, and usually we don't use them immediately," Davis said. "This time, everybody that was a poll worker — whether they were new or not — we took and we put them to work because we needed some extra people. Most polling places had five or even six poll workers, and it seemed to work out very well. It allowed one person to maintain the machine and help people, make sure everyone had their photo ID ready."

"I leave with relief but a little sad," Triplett said. "This is a special group, they all work to help you in the ways they can. I know everything is in good hands, but they need poll workers. Don't think you can't do it because you get training. They need more younger people, and when you get your training and after the first one, you're set. Come and try it at least one time."