Volunteer work in Ecuador lead to passion for voting

A Maricopa woman first recognized the impact voting can have on a country when she was giving vaccinations in Ecuador at 16.

Barb Adamson, who has been voting for 35 years, serves as inspector of the 79th Precinct in The Villages at Rancho El Dorado. It is her job to watch over the voting in her precinct, which includes staying until every vote is counted at the end of a more than 14-hour day.

She became a poll worker five years ago, having anticipated the role she could play on Election Day for many years, Adamson said. After getting experience in various roles, she took an inspector job.

Adamson’s journey began when she volunteered to spend a summer in Ecuador in 1975.

At the time, Ecuador was changing governments about every six months, she said. 

“One of the things I saw as a teenager was the blessing that we have in the United States,” Adamson said. “We don’t have to have an overthrow of the government to make changes.”

As a volunteer, she traveled to Latin America for two summers with a group called Los Amigos de Las Americas, living in villages and giving vaccinations.

She said the experience was difficult and expensive, but it was an opportunity to observe people and potentially save lives, all while experiencing a completely different world.

“It was life changing and it definitely influenced my enthusiasm for voting later in life,” Adamson said.

Adamson said her passion for voting also was heavily influenced by her parents, who both served in World War II. Her mother and father emphasized what a privilege it was to vote freely, she said.

Her involvement at the polls began when Maricopa Community Church, where her husband Steve is the pastor, was asked by Pinal County to be a polling site. She applied for the job of poll worker immediately.

Adamson said she’s never bored on Election Day.

“Everybody that comes through I just love,” Adamson said. “The whole day is full of interesting people and interesting stories.”

The problems of the day are no match for Adamson, who has seen her share of incidents.