Just 50 days before Election Day, Power the Polls – the first-of-its-kind, nonpartisan initiative for recruiting the next generation of poll workers – announced it has recruited more than 125,000 potential poll workers since its re-launch in 2022, reaching a major milestone in recruitment efforts ahead of the upcoming election.
“Despite the challenges election workers are facing this election season, Americans nationwide are still raising their hands to do their civic duty and serve as poll workers – we’re so thrilled to see the excitement from the 125,000 new potential poll workers who have signed up with Power the Polls this year,” said Jane Slusser, Program Manager at Power the Polls. “But with just 50 days until the general election, we still need all hands on deck to help recruit a new generation of poll workers who will power elections to come. Without enough poll workers, polling locations could close or face long lines, making voting more difficult. Poll workers are essential to our elections – period.”
Election administrators are continuing to report the need for more poll workers due to new recruitment challenges, from navigating new election laws to health and safety concerns to a rise in in-person voting relative to the last election. Many localities are also reporting the need for poll workers who are bilingual or have more tech skills. Power the Polls is working with hundreds of organizations, businesses, and election officials from across the political spectrum to recruit younger, more diverse, and non-partisan potential poll workers, and ensure that local elections officials’ needs for poll workers are identified and met.
“We still need more poll workers to help ensure elections across the U.S. run smoothly in 2022,” said Robert Brandon, Fair Elections Center President and CEO. “At the Fair Elections Center, we’ve worked for years on building a better system for recruiting a new generation of diverse poll workers – and we’re thrilled to see that system working so well in 2022. But this work is far from over – we look forward to continuing our efforts and working to ensure all voters have their voices heard in 2022.”
“Poll workers are essential to standing up elections and maintaining a healthy democracy – it’s incredible to see a new generation step up to do this critically important work,” said Erika Soto Lamb, Vice President of Social Impact Strategy at MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks. “In 2020, we helped Power the Polls deliver on its mission to recruit the next wave of younger, more diverse poll workers – in fact, Trevor Noah’s calls to action on The Daily Show helped sign up more than 100,000 people ahead of that unprecedented pandemic election. For the next 50 days and for elections to come, we’ll continue to address voter access issues, particularly for low-income voters, voters from marginalized communities of color, voters with disabilities, and voters in need of language assistance.”
“This year, member companies of the Civic Alliance have been stepping up to leverage their communities to support participation in our democracy,” said Natalie Tran, Co-Founder of the Civic Alliance and Executive Director of the CAA Foundation. “As trusted brands and employers, companies have a tremendous power to shape our culture. We’re glad to be working with Power the Polls and our corporate partners to use that power for good as we approach the 2022 election.”
“Power the Polls has unquestionably demonstrated the scale of impact that is possible when nonprofits, corporations, and government officials work in deep collaboration,” said Ashley Spillane, co-founder of the Civic Responsibility Project. “Since 2020, this program has recruited more than 800,000 potential poll workers – an incredible achievement, and a number that was unimaginable when we launched in the summer of 2020. Still, we have work left to do as the election nears. Power the Polls will continue its work to ensure every polling place is staffed in 2022. ”
In 2020, Power the Polls and its founding partners – Civic Alliance, Civic Responsibility Project, Comedy Central, Fair Elections Center, Pizza to the Polls, MTV Entertainment Studios, and Center for Secure & Modern Elections – recruited more than 700,000 potential poll workers signed up by the effort over the course of that election cycle.
To sign up to be a poll worker during the midterm election this year, please visit www.powerthepolls.org/signup.
