Tuesday August 12th is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, a day when Americans offer up their services to their local polling precincts ahead of election season.
Virginia’s 45 days of early voting requires a lot of manpower, but those involved say it’s a unique chance to serve your community and country.
Donald Palmer is the Commissioner of the United States Election Assistance Commission. He said National Poll Worker Recruitment Day aims to raise awareness about the need for poll workers across the country, especially as many long-serving poll workers begin to age out.
“So, we’ve got to get the new generation of students and middle-aged Americans to step up," Palmer told Radio IQ.
According to commission data, over 2,800 Virginia poll workers helped on election day in recent years, but they also aided in millions of voter registration transactions as part of routine voter list maintenance. And more poll workers are always needed.
Walter Latham is the York County Registrar. He said he’s fairly well staffed but he welcomes more applications.
“People who like dealing with the public, who are attentive to detail, who like feeling like they’re part of the community, I think they would be a good candidate for this. I think they would enjoy it," Latham told Radio IQ. "I did it for the first time when I was 17 years old and it felt nice to be part of something that made America work.”
David Levine is the new registrar for the City of Richmond. He said those interested, even those who’ve never participated before, should apply to get involved.
“We try and make sure we’ve got a good blend of folks with a diverse range of experiences so that we’re able to meet voters where they are,” Levine told Radio IQ.
Latham said there’s no real deadline to apply to be a poll worker, but he recommends getting involved before early voting opens in September.
You can find more information on how to become a poll worker here.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
