Profiled in 2009, one week before the General Election, election officials Avis Ryals of Gloucester, above, and Al and Carolyn Carpenter of Mathews, below, had put in many combined years of service and taken much joy in the responsibility of serving their communities on Election Day. Ryals, 52, was in Roanes precinct in 2009; she had worked 31 years at the polls in Gloucester and said one of the most rewarding experiences was meeting new people. As of 2009, Al Carpenter had worked the polls for 30 years and Carolyn Carpenter for 20, having moved to Mathews in 1979. Al Carpenter was chief of Piankatank precinct in the first year he served: “I’ve never been one to back away from a challenge,” he said.

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