Many people may only think about their town officials when they need something. That is especially true of the Registrars of Voters, since it may only be every two to four years that residents need their help.

With the budget referendum vote concluded earlier this week, the Courier looked into exactly what Guilford registrars Gloria Nemczuk (R) and Lisa Kops (D) do for residents, and how critical their role is in our democracy.

“We make the whole process go through, as far as making sure as best as we can that the registry list is up to date,” said Nemczuk. “But there is a lot more involved than just counting votes on election night. I think voters think we work four weeks before an election and then we’re done. It is a year-long process.”

There’s a lot more that these registrars do than their election night duties. They need to find and train poll workers. They also have strict training for themselves throughout the year, both at the state and county level. They also have to conduct canvassing to determine who is eligible to vote and additionally oversee audits, submit budget proposals, and create referendum questions and newsletters.

There’s very little downtime for these part-time officials. They work all year between elections to ensure the accuracy and integrity, and there’s no room for error. All of this must be conducted according to extremely strict regulations and guidelines and coordinated with other town officials, school schedules, and mandates.

The stress and pressure put on all registrars can be immense, especially in today’s divisive political climate.

“We work all year. In today’s atmosphere and with the security issues that are being raised and the way the political aura has developed, you have to have a well-organized system and very accurate record keeping,” said Kops. “In general, you need someone in the position of assisting voters and keep everything we do to maintain accuracy. It’s important.”

Guilford’s 2021 municipal elections were highly contested and on election night there were dozens of people crowding Town Hall at 8 p.m. all anxiously awaiting and straining to view the numbers being posted by the registrars. According to Nemczuk and Kops, they have to leave personal politics and views at the door and work together to provide their election skills regardless of any party affiliation, which in a small town can be difficult.

“We’re trained from the start that we represent Connecticut and that politics don’t belong in our office,” said Kops. “It is very non-partisan. We may have different views, but that doesn’t interfere with the job. We work for our town and we need to represent everybody.”

“I know she has her views and I have mine,” said Nemczuk. “But that’s not what this office is. It is not part of elections. There are registrars in other towns that have fights and don’t get along, but that is not what this office is about. Between the two of us, we really talk and get feedback. It’s the process that is important. We don’t take sides—this is the process.”

Kops and Nemczuk said despite the stress and immediacy of election nights, the hardest part of the job is the preparation for elections. There are months of work required to ensure that voters can cast their ballots.

“We have to make sure everything is in place. We have deadlines for certain things: legal notices, ordering ballots, ordering our memory cards, and then lining up and training all the workers, and that’s just for the run up to the elections” said Nemczuk.

Kops also said that the preparation is the most critical part of then job as well.

“It is all about being prepared,” said Kops. “You always order more of what you need rather than less.”

Both registrars credit previous Guilford registrars and the training they received from them. Kops learned her job under the tutelage of Nemczuk.

“I learned a lot from Gloria and I am still learning. It’s who you work with and the training you receive that makes the job. For me helping a voter who has a question or is stuck about what to do, is what I love about the job,” said Kops. “The more I learn and know about this job, the more I love it.”