Latest news with #NationalPollWorkerRecruitmentDay
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Apply to be a poll worker for the 2025 general election
NEW YORK (PIX11) — The election season is nearly upon us in New York and to get ready, the city and state are calling for poll workers. The New York State Board of Elections celebrated National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on Tuesday by calling for applications for the General Election in the fall. Early Voting will run from Oct. 25 through Nov. 2 ahead of the General Election on Nov. 4. More Local News Along with poll workers, the Board of Elections is also currently hiring for election inspectors, interpreters and 17-year-old poll workers. All election workers earn $250 a day and can make up to $2,750 for working up to 10 days. Below is everything to know about applying to be a poll worker. Where do I apply? New York City residents interested in being an election worker can apply online. All other New York State residents can apply here. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State What are the requirements for applying? To be a poll worker, a New Yorker must be a registered voter in the state, however, that requirement does not apply to working as an interpreter. Some 17-year-olds are eligible to serve as poll workers if their school district participates in a program under Education Law Section 3207-a. Do election workers get paid? Election workers are paid $250 a day and can make up to $2,750 for working up to 10 days for early voting. If selected, workers are also paid $100 for training sessions. Do I need experience to be a poll worker? The Board of Elections is open to having poll workers who are first-timers as well as those with experience. What does being a poll worker entail? Election workers are expected to prepare the polling place for voting, set up voting equipment, check in and process voters, demonstrate voting procedures, and assist voters if they are requested to do so. After voting ends, poll workers close down the polling place and report election results. Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Utah needs you': National election commission urges Utahns to volunteer as poll workers
Election workers process ballots at the Davis County Administrative Building in Farmington on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) The U.S. Election Assistance Commission — an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring secure, accurate and accessible elections — is launching a national effort to recruit poll workers, including in Utah. 'Utah needs you,' Commissioner Donald Palmer said in an interview with Utah News Dispatch on Friday. Tuesday — which is also Utah's municipal primary — is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, when the U.S. Election Assistance Commission kicks off a nationwide effort to encourage more people to volunteer at their local county clerks office and sign up to be election workers ahead of the November general election. 'Where there's a primary, there's always going to be a general (election),' Palmer quipped, saying the aim of scheduling National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on the same day of municipal primaries is to recruit more poll workers ahead of the 2025 November election, when voters typically turn out in higher numbers. 'Go see for yourself': These poll workers want to demystify the voting process for you By raising awareness on a day when Utahns are thinking about their local elections, Palmer said he hopes more Utahns will consider being a part of the process this fall. Across the nation, clerks are seeing a 'dramatic decrease in the number of poll workers available,' Palmer said, noting that for the 2024 presidential election, 772,000 Americans served as poll workers, according to the 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey Report. That's down from what's typically been 1 million. While it's been getting incrementally easier to recruit election volunteers since 2020, recruitment efforts have trended easier since 2020, still about 48% of clerks' elections jurisdictions across the nation reported it's either 'very difficult' or 'somewhat difficult' to find poll workers, according to that survey. Of that 48%, 14.3% said it's 'very difficult' while 33.6% said it's 'somewhat difficult.' While Utah is not facing a dire poll worker shortage, Palmer said he's still encouraging Utahns to volunteer, noting that what he hears most from Utah clerks is a need to help process by-mail ballots since the vast majority of Utah voters use the state's vote-by-mail system. He also said some counties are in more need than others — noting that rural areas with smaller populations often face more challenges recruiting poll workers. In Utah during the 2024 November election, 104,350 people cast ballots in person on Election Day and 36,381 people voted early in person, while about 1.3 million by-mail ballots were cast and counted, according to the national survey. By comparison, Utah only reported 1,110 total poll workers for that election. That survey also showed that in 2025, about 40% of Utah's poll workers were new recruits. Palmer said that shows there's been 'a lot of turnover' and 'a need for poll workers' in Utah — demonstrating that people are not volunteering anymore, likely because they're getting older or are no longer able to. 'We have an aging population of poll workers,' Palmer said. He noted that the survey found the vast majority of poll workers in 2024 were over the age of 40, with nearly 60% ages 61 and older. That includes 31.1% that were between the ages of 61 and 70, and 28.1% that were 71 and older. Republicans are losing trust in elections, even in Utah. What should be done? 'It really does (show) we need to start recruiting younger and middle-aged Americans to really fill the gap. Because at some point, they're going to retire,' he said. Palmer urged younger Utahns — who may not even be aware of the opportunity to serve their communities in this way — to consider being an election worker. 'I really encourage people to try (volunteering) at least one or two elections, because it will give you great insight, and the people that continue on year after year, some of these folks, they absolutely love it. They're going to do it for the rest of their lives,' he said. 'So we really do want young people and other Americans to see the voting process.' He also said more people being involved in local election processes can help combat rising distrust in election security. 'It's right on the ground. You can see how the voting process works,' he said. 'You really do, as a poll worker, get to see the checks and balances within a polling place. You get to see the efforts that go into chain of custody and how we make sure the ballots equate to the number of people that have voted. And the care that's taken with those ballots. … It really is the best place to understand how the voting process works.' 'There really does need to be replacement poll workers as we move to the future,' he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
National Poll Worker Recruitment Day coming Aug. 12
PRINCETON – Midterm elections are not coming until November 2026, but counties both local and across the nation are now recruiting the poll workers needed to greet the public on Election Day and help them cast their ballots. West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner said recently that the Mountain State and others across the country are dealing with a shortage of poll workers. During last year's General Election, there were counties that had to fill poll vacancies at the last minute. To avoid not having enough poll workers during state and national elections, more need to be recruited and trained, Warner said. To help with this effort, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day will take place on Aug. 12. Poll workers are not volunteers, Mercer County Clerk Verlin Moye said Tuesday. 'It is a paid position and the average pay is a minimum of $225,' he said. 'That includes Election Day and poll school.' Some poll workers can earn up to $250 if they become a ballot commissioner that supervises a polling precinct. Mercer County is 'right in the middle' of the average pay a poll worker can earn, Moye said. 'We're trying to pay them as much as we can, but that's a lot of money,' he said, adding that paying the poll workers staffing the county's 43 precincts for an election cost the county at least $48,000. 'They're worth more than that,' Moye said. 'They're certainly not in it for the money. They're just civil servants doing their duty.' A poll worker's day is a long one. Polls open at 6:30 a.m., but poll workers have to be at their precincts by 5:30 a.m. And while precincts close at 7:30 p.m., a poll worker's day isn't over until 9 p.m. Voting machines have to be packed up and returned to the courthouse along with ballots. The ballots are escorted by another poll worker called a supply commissioner to help maintain the checks and balances needed for a fair election, he said. Moye said that every day is poll worker recruitment day. 'My awesome staff and I are constantly seeking and discussing the recruitment of qualified poll-workers in and out of the office,' he said. 'It's a continuous thing. We're always looking to recruit new poll workers; at least get them on the list so we can vet them.' Several avenues are explored to find people ready to apply for poll worker positions. 'When it comes to obtaining qualified poll workers, we rely heavily on referrals, networking, the media and advertising,' Moye said. 'The Secretary of State's Office is also a valuable resource of obtaining poll worker candidates through their website.' Workers staffing each polling place do everything from setting up the site, check in voters, help them use voting machines and help make sure voters with disabilities can access the polling place, Warner said. National Poll Worker Recruitment Day will be more than encouraging people to come to the courthouse and fill out an application, Moye said. 'But on Recruitment Day, we want to take the time to thank and appreciate our professional and dedicated poll workers,' he said. 'Our poll-workers are knowledgeable in election law and procedures and are the life blood of an election.' Poll workers do not represent any one party or interest group, Moye said. 'They are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents and No Parties. They interact with and assist voters on Election Day and are one of our main controls in place to assure that our elections are held freely, fairly and with integrity,' he said. 'They work a very long day and oftentimes they have to deal with difficult situations and people, and they do it with zeal and a smile. Poll workers are courageous and resilient, working through snow-storms, injuries, electrical storms, pandemics and more. They get the job done and we really appreciate their efforts and dedication.' Residents interested in applying can call 304-487-8338 and 8339. People interested in becoming poll workers can also get more information and apply at Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@ Solve the daily Crossword
