Nat Church retires from Registrar of Voters after 31 years

If you thought this year's election was more exciting than usual, imagine what it must have been like for Natalie Church. After 31 years of seeing first hand the significant changes in the voting procedure and in the community, and being a part of this historic, and as she said, "Pretty Wonderful" presidential election, "Nat" is retiring from Durham's Registrar of Voters.

"Durham has been fortunate to have Natalie Church, a consummate professional, as Registrar of Voters," said Laurie Stevens, chair of the Democratic Town Committee and long-time friend.

Before she was registrar, Nat was on a town committee, and then-registrar Myra Korn was looking for a deputy. She became Korn's assistant until 1977 when Korn retired and moved Nat up to registrar. This is where she's been ever since.

"Myra taught me everything she knew," Nat acknowledged, adding that there was no formal training when she started. Today, new registrars must go through training and classes at the Secretary of State's office because, "The job requires you to know election laws and all the specifics of voting."

Training or not, friends and coworkers will tell you that Nat took her job very seriously.

"Natalie always put respect for the electoral process first and was adamant that politics must stop at the door," said Stevens. "Those are the guiding principles she worked by and taught others all these years."

After 31 years, it is inevitable that things improve or at least change. Nat recalls the registrar being located in a vault downstairs before it was given an office in the new town hall. Among other memories is the switch from the lever to the new ballot machines.

"Now there's a few more steps because we're with the 21st century," she said. "Voters get a paper ballot, go into a security booth, put it in the optic scan, and never see it again."

Nat said this process is much better than the previous. "The job is a little bit easier, and it's actually easier on everybody, once they get established with it."

Though it made her job easier, Nat was still working diligently on election day this year. She arrived at the polls at 4:45 a.m. and didn't leave until after 11 p.m. She said it was amazing to see what happens when people who usually leave Durham to commute to New Haven, New York, Hartford or Massachusetts all try to get to the polls before work: lines were already waiting out the door at 6 a.m., wrapping around the front of the building, and not slowing significantly until 6:30 p.m.

In years past, voters would start to show up around 6:30 p.m. after work, so even this was a much different experience. Of course, when she first began as registrar, the check-off list with names and addresses was only 30 inches wide by 15 inches high with only 100 people or so. Today, there are 5,015 voters in Durham.

"Durham has come a long way and has really grown," she said, adding, "This was the most significant election in all my years as registrar. I've never seen anything like it before."

Nat admits that she didn't even know that all those people lived in Durham, which is shocking since she has gotten to know so many of them over the years. As a matter of fact, working with friends and meeting people was the highlight of the job for Nat, and it's what she will miss the most. As part of the job, Nat explained to new residents what Durham was and what the town is all about.

"They were overwhelmed, but it was gratifying that the people would sit and talk with us," she recalls. "They were just folks and we were just folks."

Nat also said she will miss Durham, where she lived in the same home on Maiden Lane for 46 years. But, she is also ready to move on. The move will take her down to Florida where her youngest daughter lives.

"My children decided for themselves that it was time to move on, and they have gone to New York, Salt Lake City and Florida," she said. "It's time to do the same."