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Bowen: Poll Workers Are On California’s Front Line of Democracy
By Debra Bowen
California Secretary of State
Each election, Californians see snapshots of what makes our democracy tick. Candidates. Initiative measures. Campaign commercials. Voter registration drives. Ballots and the machines that count them.
One crucial element that’s often overlooked is the contribution from the state’s largest one-day volunteer work force: the 100,000 men and women who serve on the front lines of democracy as poll workers.
Teenagers and senior citizens, professionals and retirees, people of all backgrounds come together to ensure all of the more than 23,000 polling places across California are staffed on Election Day. Poll workers make voting easier and they protect our ballots until they are delivered to county election officials.
For their valuable service, poll workers take home modest stipends. But they walk away with so much more – a sense of community, a chance to reconnect with neighbors and friends, first-hand experience with democracy, and personal satisfaction.
We couldn’t have made the February 5 presidential primary a success without poll workers. And now we need their help again, and yours too.
The Legislative and Congressional primaries are on June 3. Then comes the November 4 general election, when Californians will help pick our 44th American president. County elections officials have already begun to recruit and train the thousands of poll workers they’ll need for the June 3 primary election, and they could use everyone’s help.
To be a poll worker, you only need to be a registered voter. Or, you can be a high school student who is a U.S. citizen at least 16 years old, has a grade-point average of at least 2.5, and is in good standing at school.
I especially want to encourage students to take the opportunity to “learn and earn” as poll workers. Younger Californians with computer skills and bilingual abilities are particularly in demand as poll workers. Volunteering at a neighborhood polling place is a great way to have a first-hand lesson in democracy.
Before I ever ran for elected office, I served as a poll worker in Los Angeles County for a number of elections. Working at a polling place is a fun and easy way to get involved in the electoral process. It enhanced my appreciation of the democratic process, and it could do the same for you!
But you’ll never know unless you volunteer. Please, contact your registrar of voters and learn more about becoming a poll worker.
A list of contact numbers for county registrars is at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/pollworker.htm
Comments
Mobilize.org is proud to launch our Mobilize the Polls Program, which aims to recruit 500 poll workers under the age of 30 (and hopefully engaging many people above 30 as well!) for the 2008 Presidential Election. This election year, while youth are coming out to the polls in record numbers, they also have the opportunity to contribute to their fellow citizens’ understanding and access to the democratic process by volunteering to be a poll worker.
In many cities across the country, there is a demonstrable need for poll workers. With the new technologies that are being explored to enhance the voter experience, members of the Millennial Generation can contribute their familiarity with technology to aid other members of their community to cast their ballot this November.
If you are interested in serving as a poll worker in your district, please make sure you are registered to vote and then email me your name, Congressional District (and state) and email, so we can work with you to complete the necessary paperwork based on your state and county regulations and connect you to our on the ground trainings.
Please email Kaelan@mobilize.org for more information!
Posted by: Kaelan at August 14, 2008 01:44 PM
California: 39th congressional district. I would like to receive the necessary training in order to work at my local polling place on election day.
Robert Cunningham
infojunkie@dslextreme.com
Posted by: Robert Cunningham at September 27, 2008 05:31 PM
California: 39th congressional district. I would like to receive the necessary training in order to work at my local polling place on election day.
Robert Cunningham
infojunkie@dslextreme.com
Posted by: Robert Cunningham at September 27, 2008 06:00 PM
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