Taylor Porter employee and legal assistant Connie Norton has been calling herself “The Commish” around her house the last couple of weeks, and on Tuesday, for the much anticipated election of the 45th United States President, Norton will render her civic responsibility and serve as an election commissioner for Ascension Parish at the Spanish Lake Elementary polling station on Bluff Road in Geismar.

Norton will rise early to be there at 5:15 a.m. and staff the polling station on a 14-hour shift from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., accommodating all those in line until the last vote is cast.

“I have always said that I wanted to get a chance to volunteer and do this, and it just so happened that the year I became certified has been one of the more unique elections our country has ever seen,” said Norton, a Baton Rouge native, and resident for the past 18 years in Ascension Parish.

Norton trained and became certified as an election commissioner through several classes taken through the Ascension Parish Clerk of Court. The general elections rely on a pool of dedicated election day poll workers to perform several duties to ensure the integrity and operations of the voting process, from checking voters in and making sure they’re registered, to instructing voters on how to use a particular type of polling machine, to watching out for any voting irregularities, among other jobs.

“It’s a very important duty to volunteer, and especially with this particular election playing such a pivotal role in shaping the future of our country,” Norton said. “I always teach my children that it’s not a question of voting, it’s a responsibility to vote and make your voice be heard, and I hope young adults realize and exercise that privilege.”