[Image of Clerk Kathy Nickolaus courtesy of Waukesha Clerk's web page]
Years ago, election officials were largely anonymous.
Those days are over.
Right now, anyone working in the field of elections in today's highly-charged political environment - with a political class newly aware of (if not terribly knowledgeable about) election administration - has to assume that she or he is one close vote away from becoming front page news.
The lessons for election officials are threefold:
1. Get used to talking to reporters - or being talked about by candidates;
2. You will be criticized and even vilified - whether or not you think it's fair;
3. Collect data and measure your own performance so you can tell your side of the story - even if it's to explain a mistake.
In short, these days election administration ain't beanbag, either.
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