Dobie Frazier poses for a photo at her home in London, Kentucky, on Sunday, April 26, 2026. Peyton Tindall/The Watchdog

Dobie Frazier never thought she would work in politics.

From a young age, she despised everything politicians represented and believed they didn’t have the public’s best interest at heart.

After moving to London, Kentucky, in 2020, Frazier sought to reconnect with her community. It was when she joined a friend for city elections that she said she realized volunteering as a poll worker was the perfect way to give back.

According to Frazier, being a poll worker wasn’t about politics — it was about helping people and ensuring their voices were heard.

“I feel good by the end of the day. You feel tired because it’s a long day and you’re on your feet all day,” she said, “but I’ve rarely left not feeling satisfied with thinking that I’d helped somebody somewhere down the line.”

For Frazier, the voting season starts weeks before the actual election. No matter how many times she has served at the polls, Frazier said she must complete a three-hour training session before each election.

“It’s the same stuff that we’ve learned before, but sometimes there’s something new, or sometimes there’s something different that they have to tell you,” Frazier said. “It makes you feel involved in your community.”

As a poll worker, Frazier guides voters through the voting process, from scanning their driver’s licenses to filling out the ballot.

She said her job means making sure voting is accessible to everyone who walks through the precinct’s doors.

“You’ve got to be able to give instructions to people without getting aggravated or being too technical,” Frazier said. “You’ve got to simplify it so people can understand how to do it.”

Dobie Frazier picks gives Dadio the cat a hug at her home in London, Kentucky, on Sunday, April 26, 2026. Peyton Tindall/The Watchdog

According to Frazier, there needs to be equal representation of Democratic and Republican poll workers at each election. As one of the few Democrats in an “overpowered conservative community,” she said she feels a responsibility to represent those who share her ideology.

“I know they need me,” Frazier said, “because there’s not that many of us down here.”

As a poll worker, she said she can show voters how to vote and use the equipment without being behind the machine or looking at their choices.

“If they don’t know that, then they could be voting for the wrong people that they didn’t want to vote for,” Frazier said. “They could feel frustrated, thinking that things have just gotten so technical that they can’t even vote anymore.”

After working as a poll worker for the past six years, Frazier said the town’s older generation tends to “freak out” over modern voting methods, like touch screens and tablets, saying she does not want the challenge technology brings to deter them from exercising their right to vote.

“For older folks, voting is a way to voice their opinion,” Frazier said. “When it’s too hard or too complicated, their voice is not heard, so if we can simplify it for them enough for them to be able to place their vote, it means so much.”

Although she never liked politics, for Frazier, voting has always been an important and powerful tool to amplify her voice and shape the world around her.

“You can’t just sit back and complain,” Frazier said. “You’ve got to go try to make a difference.”