A group of poll workers was surprised Tuesday evening by a voter who brought them doughnuts at Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia.
He wasn’t just any voter, though: it was a first-time occurrence for Eric Waldmiller, he said.
“At first I thought that it’s too late and I’m not going to vote,” the 22-year-old said outside of the polling site on Ross Street. “I haven’t been into it too much. I was working and one of the customers told me the polls close at 9, so I thought I have some time to do it for once.”
In the past, his work schedule seemed too busy for Waldmiller of Batavia to take time to vote, he said. He has been keeping up on election candidates — for better or worse — through ads on social media and television, he said.
Admittedly, he has possibly taken this right to vote for granted, he said, but found it was worth the effort. He plans to vote regularly from now on, he said.
“It was definitely moving, for sure,” he said. “It was my first time, I was kind of nervous. Everyone was nice and kind, they showed me what to do. It was easier than I thought.”
He figured it had been a long day for the workers, so he decided to bring them some doughnuts. His job at a local doughnut shop made it an obvious choice, he said.
“I thought it would be a nice treat for them,” he said.
The poll workers were pleasantly surprised by the sweets toward the end of their long shift. Voting had been steady throughout the day, one worker said.
Photo of Eric Waldmiller outside of a polling site Tuesday evening at Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck.
