We're fortunate to have few vocal election deniers in these parts. But after "Stop the steal" became attempted armed robbery at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, writer Dusty Rhodes of Springfield decided to take a closer look at how voting gets done. She volunteered to be an election judge. In her column, "Election integrity up close," page 13, she describes her extensive training, the detailed procedures poll workers follow, and the camaraderie enjoyed across party lines. Elections work because election workers believe passionately in the ballot box, the heart of democracy. – Fletcher Farrar, editor