Doors to precincts throughout Erie County opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday for all to come and cast their vote.

Barbara Skonieczny, the judge of elections for Erie 5tn Ward District 14, said operations for the general election have been seamless.

“We have the new poll pads that voters seem to like. I think it’s a lot more efficient getting them checked in, and if someone ends up coming to the wrong place, you can tell them easily where they should be voting,” said Skonieczny.

Skonieczny has been a poll worker for over 20 years, where she started as a machine operator.

She said it’s important for a full staff of poll workers to be present on Election Day to ensure all voters are attended to equally and fairly.

“That’s true. You don’t want to be too busy that you can’t pay attention to what’s going on or be able to answer questions, but the primary thing is to make sure that they are actually registered to vote,” said Skonieczny.

Another judge of elections said foot traffic at her precinct picked up during the lunch hour, and having all poll workers available makes the day run smoothly.

“It puts a lot of less stress on people when there’s everyone covering their jobs, and sometimes, that doesn’t happen so you know the difference that having everybody is adequate,” said Patricia Fronzaglia, the judge of elections for Erie Ward Five District 15.

Election officials said it’s fulfilling to serve the community and would encourage anyone to get involved on Election Day.

“I can’t think of anything I kind of really would rather do or want to be part of. There’s other ways you really can’t help but other ways you can, and this is one of them,” said Fronzaglia.

Skonieczny said it’s imperative that everyone votes in order to have a voice in local decisions.