My First Time Voting… and Running the Place

I didn’t expect my first time voting to come with a stack of paperwork and the authority to supervise three polling stations. But that’s how it happened. After years of sitting elections out — mostly due to my religious upbringing, which demanded strict political neutrality —I decided that this time would be different. And when I made that decision, I didn’t just want to vote. I wanted to see the process. Understand it. Be part of it.

The timing worked out — I was between jobs and open to trying something new. I hadn’t even realized that working for the elections was a paid position; I’d always assumed the whole thing ran on volunteers. So when I learned there was an opening, I signed up — curious, available, and ready to learn. I had no idea how much would go into getting ready for April 28, but I was about to find out.

From Sign-Up to Sign-Off

The process started with a quiet motivation: if I was going to finally vote, I wanted to know what I was participating in. I signed up for training with Elections Canada in early April. The training turned out to be much more intense than I expected: two mandatory three-hour in-person sessions, about an hour of online material, and hours upon hours of reading through detailed guides and manuals. It was nerve-wracking. They went over everything that could possibly go wrong, and by the end of it, I had that sinking feeling of: what did I get myself into? I even had a few stress dreams about vote counts not matching. The job wasn’t just “sit at a table and hand out ballots.” There were rules, procedures, contingency plans, forms — so many forms — and an entire system behind each step.

I voted early, on April 21, at one of the advance polling stations. It was my first time participating in a democratic process like this, and I approached it more with quiet curiosity than any strong emotion. But things didn’t slow down after that. In fact there was still quite a bit to prepare for the big day.

The day before election day, there was one more hour of training, followed by the task of picking up all the necessary materials — forms, ballots, signage, and everything else needed to set up the polling stations. It took me about three hours to place everything just right so I could leave with the assurance that things were ready and avoid additional stress. Thankfully, an experienced supervisor who was managing ten polling stations elsewhere in the same community centre offered help and guidance. Thanks to her, I was able to set everything up correctly and head home feeling more at ease.

Despite having everything set up the day before, I still felt unsettled. The nervous anticipation made for a mostly sleepless night, and I had to will myself out of bed for an early start. On election day, April 28, I worked a full 18-hour shift starting at 8 AM, supervising three election officers, three information agents, and one registration agent. My role was part logistics, part quality control, part last-line-of-defense. I answered questions, verified eligibility, managed ballot counts, monitored the flow of voters, and helped fix issues when they popped up — as they inevitably did.

What Does a Central Poll Supervisor Do?

Officially, I was hired as a Central Poll Supervisor — a role that comes with a long list of responsibilities. I had to ensure that polls were set up on time, distribute materials to poll workers, and supervise their work throughout the day, including coordinating breaks — which was not an easy task, given the unpredictable nature of voter lineups. I was also responsible for ensuring that electors and candidates' representatives followed all the proper guidelines, enforcing the Canada Elections Act, and overseeing the counting of the ballots. At the end of the night, I managed the collection and return of the ballot boxes and election material.

It was a role that demanded organization, patience, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Elections Canada looks for people with experience managing large groups, interacting with the public, and handling conflict — and I quickly understood why.

The People Behind the Process

One of the best parts of the experience was the team. Everyone I worked with brought something different to the table — some were students, others retirees, some bilingual, some new to the process like me. There was stress, yes, but there was also camaraderie. People cared. They showed up early. They asked good questions. They stayed sharp, even after 15 hours on their feet.

I saw how much this process relies not on technology or institutions, but on regular people. People who pay attention. People who take responsibility. People who check your ID, hand you a ballot, and walk you through how to fill it out — then quietly stay until the last form is signed and sealed.

And there’s a lot to seal.

A System That Runs on Trust — and Paper

We think of democracy as a big idea, but it’s actually a bunch of little details. I was genuinely surprised by how the entire process doesn’t depend on any modern technology. I’m talking ballot boxes sealed with individually numbered tags — each one recorded on yet another form — carbon-copy transfer sheets, precise initialing, sign-in sheets, serial numbers, backup envelopes, call-ins to the Returning Office, and triple-checked tallies at the end of the night.

There’s a strange beauty in it. A kind of fragile precision. And maybe even more importantly, a collective trust in the process. Every signature, every form, every pair of eyes checking every count — it all builds toward that trust.

What I’ll Remember

I’ll remember the quiet, almost rushed feeling of that final hour. A few last-minute voters trickled in — not a surge, but just enough to keep us on alert. It looked like this election mattered enough to most Canadians that only a handful waited until the very end. Then came the pressure of closing procedures: sealing a ballot box, taping forms to envelopes, and signing off on materials knowing that everything I touched could be scrutinized.

I’ll remember my team — how we problem-solved together, sometimes pulled our hair out trying to get everything just right, helped each other stay alert, and made it to the finish line, tired but proud.

And I’ll remember how good it felt to not just vote, but participate. Fully. Intentionally.

This experience changed the way I think about elections. It wasn’t always smooth, and it was definitely not glamorous — but it was real, and human, and necessary.

And I’ll be back next time.