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Poll Worker Portrait: Congestive Heart Failure Didn’t Stop Her From Helping
Despite the Covid-19 risk, it was worth it
If it wasn’t Election Day, Jokon Brown-Hart would’ve spent her hours at her job at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. But election season has brought her here, to South Philly’s Wharton Square Park on a cool November Tuesday.
Presidential elections under the best of circumstances have their difficulties. From broken machines to campaign shenanigans, ensuring an election is conducted fairly takes a lot of effort.
But thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, another difficulty was added to Election 2020: How to replace aging poll workers who, due to fears of contracting the coronavirus, decided to sit this year out. But not Brown-Hart, 37, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia employee and 36th Ward Committee person who also manned the polls at the Wharton Square Park recreation center on Election Day.
Brown-Hart is battling congestive heart failure but she put on her mask and came to the polls anyway. She arrived at 6:30 a.m. and was prepared to stay all day.
“This is the most important election of our lives,” said the poll worker, who is also a committee person in the 7th division of the 36th Ward in South Philadelphia.
