Be a Poll Worker - Participate in elections, meet people, and earn pocket change

United States Poll Workers are also called Election Judges, Election Inspectors, Precinct Election Officers, and Poll Commissioners.

I've worked at the polls in the last three elections. It's a unique opportunity for citizens to participate in the election process and get a glimpse of what a big and important undertaking our elections are. It's also a fun way to meet interesting people and earn some small change.

Be ready for a long day! Polls are generally open from about 7 am to 8 pm (times vary by location) so everyone has a chance to vote. In my precinct, we start setting up at 6 am to get the polls open by 7 am. There are four of us, and we each take two 1 hour breaks during the day. We close the polls at 8 pm, and then it takes another hour to check the tallies, reconcile the ballots, and take down all the signs and equipment.

I've worked with freelance writers and photographers, alternative medicine practitioners, high school students, graduate school students, civil engineers, retired butchers, retired science teachers, and even a former radio announcer. Some elections aren't too busy and once you get the equipment set up and the polls open, you have a chance to sit down and really talk with your fellow workers. Presidential elections, however, are usually busy and buzzing with energy --- you really get a "I'm-participating-in-this-democracy-called-the-United States" feeling! Not to mention receiving that $125.00 paycheck (in my precinct) several weeks later. Payments vary by state; in reading through the poll worker webpages for each state I've seen a pay range from about $70 to $200 for the day.

Attending a training class before each election is usually required. My class was held at the local library, but while reading through the webpages for each state, I noticed that more and more states are offering online training. The comprehensive training covered how to open the polls, set up the electronic voting machines (called eSlates in my precinct), check-in voters, accept Vote-By-Mail ballots, administer Provisional Ballots, assist disabled voters, and close the polls. The work isn't hard, but you do have to learn the rules for voting in your state and ballot accountability. The training teaches the rules, and in my precinct, there are excellent manuals to use on election day if any questions come up. If your state uses electronic voting machines, your training may include practice in setting up, using, and taking down these machines. Ensuring the security and integrity of the voting machines is usually handled by the lead Election Official and specially trained Poll Workers, but your training will probably cover some basic security principles that every poll worker needs to know.

If you don't have the time or interest for this, maybe you know someone who would enjoy this experience (your parents? your high school kids? - many states have developed programs with the high schools to have kids work at the polls). Encourage them to check it out; many states need more Poll Workers.

If you decide to do this important job, I hope you find it as rewarding as I have!

Click on the State Name to get to the state government Poll Worker information page.

Some states don't seem to have a Poll Worker information page, so for those states, the link goes to the State Election Board website. Some states have poll worker information pages for each county, without (or sometimes in addtion to) having a state-wide webpage. In these cases, I included links for some counties and will continue to add others. When the State's webpage had a phone number to call to apply for poll worker positions, I included it here.

Disclaimer of Liability and Damages: In writing this hubpage, every effort has been made to provide current and correct links to U.S. State and Local Government websites that provide poll worker information. Despite my good faith effort to be accurate, this page may contain inadvertent errors. By using this page, you assume all risks associated with the use of it, including any risk to your computer. No liability of any kind shall be assumed by the author of this hubpage for damages of any kind that arise out of the use or misuse of the information or links provided here.