(gentle music) Her brown Chevy Silverado pulls into the parking lot, a friendly face greets her helping to carry in supplies.

It may be another typical day at PBS Charlotte, but not for these particular guests.

- Do you have a highlighter in case you see hava?

- [Jason] It's Monday the day before election Tuesday.

- I'm gonna slide your table a little bit.

- [Jason] And election day prep is underway.

- I think the main thing with the clocks is on that thing.

- [Jason] Precinct coordinator, Debbie Stairs, or Chief Judge, as she's officially called, leads her team of roughly 10 people in turning PBS Charlotte's Broadcast Hall of Fame into a voting precinct for the Commonwealth Park neighborhood.

- So I handle the setting up.

- [Jason] There's a lot that needs to be done.

From unraveling wires, to organizing voter rolls, taping down extension cords, setting up voting machines and posting signs, alerting voters of what they can and can't do.

All the way down to the finishing touches, like putting out flags.

And of course, what's an election without the I voted stickers.

- It's work, but it's fun.

- Usually you have to set up all the laptops and all the machines we have to, you know, do a test on it to make sure everything runs accurately.

- [Jason] The group whips in and out in about 45 minutes.

Thanks, in large part, to Debbie, who, let's just say, has done this a time or two.

The first election you worked?

- Ronald Reagan.

(triumphant music) - [Jason] Yep, that's right, 1984.

Ronald Reagan wins reelection and young Debbie works her very first election.

- I got a phone call from downtown, hey, we see your registered to vote.

The person that's doing your job is retiring.

We want you.

I'm thinking, you know me?

I don't know who gave my name.

I never found out.

And I said, okay.

- [Jason] Little did Debbie know that 40 years later she'd still be doing it.

General elections, primaries, every single one.

- I missed one year because my daughter had a baby and I kept the baby and then I went right back into it.

- To know the amount of history that she's seen, the ups, the downs, the in-betweens, the good, the bad, the red, the blue, the blue, the red is, you know, pretty, pretty amazing.

- [Jason] In November, Debbie will work her ninth presidential election earning her a fitting title from her team, Madam President.

- Madam President?

- Yes, yes, my dear.

- I'm like, Madam President, can you help me out here?

- [Jason] How and when did that start?

- Oh gosh, it probably started about five years ago, I think it's hilarious.

I love it, I love it.

- It just kinda stuck.

You know, she was the lady in charge, you know, so.

- And it fits well.

She earned the title.

(person laughing) - [Jason] The question for Debbie is why?

Why do it all these years?

Why not let someone else do their civic duty and take over?

The answer for Debbie is pretty simple.

- I love my people, I really do.

I am so blessed, I mean, I've just got wonderful and a wonderful variety of people.

You know, most of 'em retired but not all.

And they love coming there and being there.

They love what they're doing serving, but they also love seeing our neighbors 'cause we have a great neighborhood.

- I don't even know if I'd do it this long, if it wasn't for her.

- [Jason] As with most precincts, poll workers live within the district, which helps create a sense of community pride and comradery.

- Our neighborhood was, it was changing and so as it changed and you didn't get to know your neighbors as well, this was a great way to do it.

- We're like a family, we know each other.

We've been around each other for years.

- [Jason] While most are retirees, Porsche Gaines brings youth and diversity to the group and is willing to take a day off from her full-time job to serve.

- My mom's a baby boomer.

And I feel like in with her generation, they really instilled civic duty and how important it is to vote and then more specifically being a person of color, being a black woman, how a lot of my ancestors didn't have the ability to, or they had to fight or it wasn't safe for them to vote when they could.

So the fact that I can come into a safe space or work and people like me see me there and it makes 'em more comfortable to come and vote and feel, you know, a familiar face is a big part of why I do it.

- How's it going today?

- Good!

- [Jason] Election day Tuesday is a long one for everybody involved.

- Well you'll laugh 'cause nobody else gets up this early, but I'm up by three 'cause I wanna sit down in the morning.

I wanna have my quiet time without other people.

I want to eat my oatmeal.

I'm gonna walk out that door, not rush so that way I can just stroll in.

- [Jason] The crew arrives at 5:45, polls open at 6:30.

Then it's 13 hours of nonstop voting until 7:30.

The team brings lunch and plenty of snacks and cookies to make it through the day.

- Great, there's your ballot.

If you take it down there, she'll get you on a machine, thanks.

- Thank you.

- [Jason] The volunteers do get paid by the county a hundred dollars for the day, which comes out to about eight bucks an hour.

- You're volunteering and getting a thank you.

- [Jason] As for Debbie, she does have a life outside of being Madam President.

- What was I before I was this?

- [Jason] Yeah!

- Well I have a BFA, which really probably stands for better find another job because you're... - [Jason] A lifelong artist specializing in weaving and looming and a little face painting.

- Yeah, I'm a clown.

I was a clown.

I haven't put on clown makeup since the remake of the movie "IT".

So I need to go and thank the producers of that because it takes a long time.

Although I love dressing up as a clown, but so I still do face painting and make balloons and don't tell your children, but I am Miss Claus a lot, so yeah.