"Nonpartisan, basic democracy-saving stuff"; Poll workers needed
Photo from NPR by John Minchillo/Associated Press
How to become an election worker
1. Apply online. You must be a registered voter in the jurisdiction you are applying for. An election board worker will follow up with a phone call to further gauge interest and potential duties for election day.
2. Attend a training session. Training lasts one hour to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the role you will be playing.
3. Prepare for a long day. While some jurisdictions may have some separation in work shifts, in most cases, and for all KC election board jobs, it is an all-day commitment from 5 a.m. to some time after 7 p.m.
To apply, click on your local election board:
Kansas City, Eastern Jackson County, Clay County, Cass County, Platte County
The equation dogging election boards in staffing Election Day polls is laced with variables that are either unknown or just plain bad.
a) The November 3 election on its own divisive hype could amass a huge turnout.
b) Enter Covid and its heightened threat particularly to people over 65, which is frightening off a significant proportion of the poll workers who have traditionally worked Election Day.
c) Factor in the reduction in the number of polling places for safety measures (or political measures) and the potential log jams.
y) Consider the turmoil over cuts in the U.S. Postal Service and the war on mail-in voting — driving more people to vote in person.
Now, solve for x.
What this equation needs, say many election observers, is a lot of new recruits to work the polls Election Day.
“This is the nonpartisan, basic democracy-saving stuff,” new election worker Max Weiss of Maryland told NPR, “which is people going out and volunteering so that other people can vote.”
Actually, poll working is a paying gig. It requires one to two-and-a-half hours of advance training, then leads to an Election Day assignment that typically starts at 5 a.m. and lasts till after 7 p.m., and in Kansas City, for instance, pays $275.
“I think we lost about 240 workers from the June to the August election, and these are primarily for COVID concerns,” Kansas City Election Board Director Shawn Kieffer told KMBC-9. As of early August, he said, “we've had 60 people apply for November,” Kieffer said. “So, we're well on our way.”
The push for new recruits is coming from many directions. The City of Kansas City is offering city workers paid leave to help staff polls Election Day, allowing them to earn the extra election work pay as well.
“It will help people vote: vote faster, with greater ease, and to make everyone’s voices heard this November and beyond,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a written statement reported in the KC Star.
LINC has been registering voters and is also spreading the word about Registration Sunday coming Sept. 13.
LINC has been helping more people get registered to vote and is letting staffers who wish to work Election Day to sign on as poll workers.
Organizations and individuals recruiting election workers are joined by celebrities who are rallying to help get voters to and through the polls.
NBA star LeBron James and the More Than a Vote campaign announced a multi-million-dollar plan to marshal new legions of poll workers.
Star power can’t guarantee a chaos-free election, but election boards welcome the reinforcements and the fighting chance.
By Joe Robertson/LINC Writer