When we think about saving democracy, defending our freedoms, and fighting fascism, we tend to picture heroic actions. The stakes are huge; it’s natural that we long to make an impact on a national scale.
The thing is, as with most human endeavors, democracy largely comes down to getting the little things right. One of those things is making sure elections can even happen — and they can’t happen if people aren’t staffing the polls. It’s a real crisis. Luckily, it’s also one you can do something about.
As was the case in the run-up to the 2022 midterms, there are shortages of qualified poll workers across the country. The lasting impacts of the pandemic and harassment by election deniers in 2020 have thinned the ranks of veteran poll workers, and across the country there has been a struggle to restaff ever since.
So this week in GET BUSY, our new series on practical civic actions you can take, we encourage you to sign up to be a poll worker.
There are lots of ways to get started. Check out Power the Polls (or visit All Voting is Local, which has more information on the project, along with tools for voter registration and more).
Since poll worker recruitment is such a big problem, there are many organizations working on it. Power the Polls is a good place to start because they’ve been at it since 2020, responding initially to the crisis of poll worker recruitment during the pandemic. They’ve already made an impact by recruiting large numbers of poll workers, they follow up with people to serve in future election cycles, and their outreach is persistent enough that it should keep you motivated as we close in on November.
Prefer a more direct approach? If you just want to figure out where to sign up near you, you can access the same search tools at WorkElections. Or visit the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Veterans can look into Vet the Vote. Are you a lawyer? The American Bar Association wants you to get out there and work the polls with your legal acumen.
Want a bigger-picture view of how it all works? Brookings has a good backgrounder on election work. And check out the Brennan Center’s resources on the subject.
Be a local hero. Make sure people can cast their ballots. It may not be glamorous, but it sure is essential. You’ll be directly involved in democracy at the local level. And you’ll get to meet all of your neighbors.
In the comments below, share your experience if you’ve been a poll worker in the past. This post is open to all, so feel free to share it far and wide. And if you enjoy these prompts to action, do remember that independent media like this takes labor and thought, so consider signing up as a paid subscriber to support The Ink’s work.
Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
This post was originally published on The.Ink.