Ward Committees: Unknown Soldiers of the Election

by Eldon Graham

PICTURED at the 2nd Ward Democratic HQ at 24th & Tasker streets are Rashad Allen; Baha’ Hasan, supervising manager; Edward “Ed” Nesmith, Ward Leader and Kevin price, Ward Chairmen. Photo by Eldon Graham

When you go to your polling place next Tuesday, it will be up and running thanks to the labors of your ward committees, Democratic and Republican.

In election season, wards do crucial work to recruit workers for their divisions. They also organize teams of volunteers to spread the word for their candidates and get out the votes, right up to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Wards act as the liaisons between party candidates and the community through their committee people. Each division can elect two committee people for each party.

We cast a spotlight on the 2nd Ward in South Philadelphia, which takes in Queen Village and Bella Vista. Both ward leaders shared insights into the process of successfully coordinating the polls on Election Day.

Edward “Ed” Nesmith is the Democratic ward leader. He has held the position for two terms, since 2008, and has never looked back. Nesmith helps serve the people of the 2nd Ward.

Nesmith is a no-nonsense, hard-working, old-school native South Philadelphian who runs a construction firm. Planning for this year’s election, he said, “is hard because we don’t know who’s going to come up with any money. When you hire 300-400 people for the election and don’t know where the money is coming from, people look at you like you got the money.”

In years past, Nesmith has had to dip into his own pocket to pay workers, but he doesn’t see himself doing it this year because, he says, some prominent politicians are not doing their fair share.

“With ward leaders, the money we get [for services] ain’t worth jack,” he emphasized. “When you are ward leader, trust me, sometimes you just go in your pocket, it’s unbelievable. I had to question myself sometimes why I still do it.”

The Republican side of the ward is led by Dr. Seth Kaufer, a gastroenterologist. He’s a doctor first and a ward leader second, but that doesn’t mean he skimps on his political job. As ward leader, he acts as a liaison for the community. “You have to be really prepared,” he said, to run an entire ward.

Kaufer describes the 2nd Ward as a “battleground,” where each ward committee looks to make significant strides in turning out the vote for their party. For him this year, Donald Trump and Pat Toomey are two candidates in crucial races.

Dr. Seth Kaufer (Right), 2nd Ward Republican, ward leader standing next to Republican Presidential Nominee, Donald Trump, someone he is heavily supporting, especially on Election day.

There is spirit of tense cooperation between the two ward committees, which are rivals in one sense – yet must engage in joint efforts to staff the 27 polling places. Every four years, voters elect a Judge of Election and a Majority and Minority Inspector for their voting division. These officials administer the elections in each of the 1,686 divisions throughout Philadelphia.

Election-board workers aren’t volunteers, technically: They get paid by the Philadelphia City Commission. But the pay is chump change – $75-100 for an arduous 14-hour day. They must also live in the division they serve. In practice, they are neighborly volunteers whom the ward leaders play an essential role in recruiting.

Events in years past are affecting Election Day this year, said Nesmith. “We got the Republicans talking all this crap” about fraudulent voting, he complained. “But at election time, we don’t even have enough people to man the poll tables because Republicans never take their table. So we have to go find somebody else, last minute.” He refers to some Republican volunteers, in elections past, not showing up at their designated locations during polling time.

He continued, “We have 10 people on standby now because the Republicans put a court order that they want their seats. Certain neighborhoods they won’t go in, but now, since Trump is running, it’s a presidential race and they got a court order to have a person at the table.”

Nesmith explained the court order, which was filed with the Commissioner’s Office, was filed as a local statute because of misappropriations of seats in polling places over the past few years.

While much of the ward is critical of the Republican presidential candidate, Kaufer is thankful for Trump’s leadership. “I really have to give him credit [for] putting a lot of focus on voter fraud,” he said.

Kaufer’s opinion on poll-watching differs from his Democratic counterpart. He said, “Poll workers are vital to a fair and balanced election in certain places of the city. I wholeheartedly support independent watchers to help ensure a fair election anywhere and especially where only one party is represented on the election precinct boards.”

Kaufer works hard to make sure people who live in the divisions are the ones to man the tables on Election Day. There should be at least one representative at each table at every division.

His duties on Election Day involve being extra vigilant to ensure there is a fair election, “I’m not trying to steal votes,” Kaufer reassures. “All I want is a fair and honest election. I’m not trying to get any extra votes or do anything unfair.”

The volunteers of the 2nd Republican Ward, who work hard every election to ensure fair and impartial proceedings take place.

Wards start gearing up for the next presidential election one year after the previous election. Planning usually starts in January and is a three-year process, leading up until Election Day.

Voter education is another key part of a ward leader’s job. Very often they must handle the chore of promoting down-ballot candidates of their party. These are not elected officials many people think about, but their role in government is crucial.

“Nobody more than me is glad to see a Black president,” said Nesmith (who is African American himself), “but people don’t understand that the president doesn’t run the show just by himself. When Obama got elected as president, we had control of the House of Representatives with Nancy Pelosi. Still, Obama couldn’t get nothing passed. Why? Because some people, Democrats, didn’t believe Obama should’ve been there. When you think about it, Obama didn’t spend money like other candidates because Obama knew, and I guess the party knew, that Black people were going to vote for Obama anyway. Now, Hillary should’ve been putting some of money on the streets instead of $30-40-50-60-70 million dollars on TV.”

Nesmith called out politicians who don’t seem to be doing enough in his eyes. “Some elected officials got elected by accident,” he remarked. “Most of them are there by luck. Ask a guy, ‘Would you rather be good or lucky?’ He’d rather be lucky. Some candidates are good at what they do; some of them are just glad to have a job.”

But Nesmith sticks with it. “I know more than the average person. I know more than people who been in the game but still don’t understand the game and understand how they made the rules,” he said.

Kaufer, unlike his Democratic peer, is fairly new as a ward leader, into the second year of his first term. He explained why he chose to serve: “I do this because I’ve been involved in politics since 14 years old. I have a passion for it.” He inherited the Ward from veteran Suzanne Haney. Haney taught him a lot and was one of the best ward leaders in Kaufer’s opinion.

Kaufer believes “the fate of the country lies in the balance” with this year’s presidential election. On Election Day, he plans to go around from division to division making sure things are on the up and up.

Understandably, the Republican and Democratic sides have two different views of next week’s election. But they will wind up working together to bring Nov. 8 to a successful conclusion.

You can reach Eldon Graham at egraham@phillyrecord.com.

   Send article as PDF