Power the Polls is working to recruit a new generation of younger, more diverse poll workers across the country. One new poll worker from 2020 shares their story about how easy it is to be a poll worker and why even more people should sign up in 2022.
Author: Abhinand Keshamouni
The first time I worked the polls was in March of 2020. I was 17 years old then and couldn’t quite vote yet, but I wanted to be involved and do my civic duty somehow. I was watching The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central. Trevor did a little advertisement at the end of the show for Power the Polls explaining how we should all go work the polls and that you only needed to be 16 to do it! Here was my answer!
So, I picked my phone up, went to the Power the Polls website and signed up! I was contacted within a week by the City of Detroit.
A Day in the Life of a Poll Worker:
I was able to schedule the mandatory paid 3-hour training session at my own convenience. I was given the job of EPI, Electronic Pollbook Inspector. This means that I had the job of verifying the ID of the voter and issuing them a ballot. On Election Day, we were required to show up an hour and half before the polls opened in order to set up the precinct for the day. Once polls closed, we began close-out procedures and went to our satellite location to drop off our filled ballots and tabulator receipts. I had reached home by 10 pm. The day is very long, but it is only one day! Believe me, you won’t have much time to sit and contemplate how long you’ve been working. Before you know it you are done and headed home.
In 2020, despite facing an unprecedented threat due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so many people like myself signed up to power the polls as poll workers. As we approach the 2022 midterms, we need to do the same to make sure every American is able to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
“Poll workers are an essential part of our voting process.”
The main task of poll workers is to ensure that our elections are safe and fair. Plus, you get paid!! Signing up to be a poll worker was very easy. You go to www.powerthepolls.org and they will connect you to places in the most need of workers around you. The more poll workers we have, the more polling stations can be opened in communities. This will help reduce long voter lines and increase accessibility to vote for all citizens. That way voting won’t seem like an inconvenience for those who have obstacles in their lives that make it harder to find time to come vote.
Election administrators have been sounding the alarm across the country that we may not have enough poll workers to ensure a safe and fair election in November. We’re seeing similar concerns in states across the country, including Texas, Virginia, New York, Mississippi, Arkansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. In response, Power the Polls—the first-of-its kind, nonpartisan poll worker recruitment initiative—is celebrating Poll Worker Recruitment Day on August 16, a day-of-action. In 2020, Power the Polls worked with non-profit organizations, corporations and celebrities to recruit over 700,000 new poll workers. Let’s break that record this year!
Abhinand Keshamouni is a 19 year old student at the University of Michigan about to begin his second year to receive a BFA in Acting from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. He loves biking, hiking, and anything else to do with the great outdoors!