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Power the Polls Signs Up More Than 500,000 People Who Want To Serve as Poll Workers

With Election Day less than 40 days away and early voting beginning in many states across the U.S., Power the Polls’s efforts to address poll worker shortages are more urgent than ever.

September 25, 2020 — Today, Power the Polls — a first-of-its-kind, nonpartisan initiative to recruit a new wave of poll workers, especially among younger, more diverse populations that have not been historically represented in these roles — announced it has recruited more than 500,000 potential poll workers since its launch in June 2020, passing a major milestone in their recruitment efforts ahead of the upcoming election. With early voting beginning in many states across the country and poll worker shortages persisting across the U.S., Power the Polls is doubling down on recruiting thousands more poll workers and continuing its work to ensure every polling place across the U.S. is fully staffed.

In past elections, more than half of poll workers were over the age of 60. This year, fewer are signing up for the job due to COVID-related health concerns. The consequences of the poll worker shortage have been felt in recent primaries where a lack of poll workers led to long lines and the closure of polling places. Washington, D.C. lost 1,700 election workers during its primary in early June. Similarly, Kentucky consolidated in-person voting in each county to a single polling place during the primary due to poll worker recruitment concerns.

“Reaching 500,000 poll worker recruits so quickly shows how people across the country are stepping up to protect our democracy and our vulnerable communities,” said Scott Duncombe, Co-Director of Power the Polls. “We’re so proud of the diverse coalition of support that this effort has inspired to help ensure the upcoming election is safe, fair, and accessible for all. Now, with early voting upon us and November around the corner, this work could not be more urgent. Power the Polls won’t stop until all polling sites are open, staffed, efficient, and functioning.”

“Signing up to be a poll worker is one of the best ways to make sure our democracy is strong and that everyone’s voice is heard, especially during this unprecedented pandemic,” said Robert Brandon, President of Fair Elections Center. “After several years of our organization advocating for and working toward a more diverse pool of poll workers, it’s great to see the large numbers of people signing up to work the polls, many for the first time.”

“We only have a few weeks left to sign up enough poll workers to ensure a safe, fair, and accessible election for all,” said Erika Soto Lamb, Vice President of Social Impact Strategy, Comedy Central and MTV. “Not enough poll workers means not enough polling locations and long lines that makes voting difficult or impossible for a lot of people. We must 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.”

"Civic Alliance member companies are proud to be part of this momentous achievement," said Mike Ward, Co-Founder of the Civic Alliance and VP of Voter Engagement at Democracy Works. "500,000 people signing up to work the polls is an important milestone to celebrate. But our work is not done. With more than 120 of America's leading companies encouraging their employees and consumers to serve this year, we will continue to make major strides in addressing this urgent need."

Power the Polls was launched in June 2020 by a coalition of businesses and nonprofits, including Civic Alliance, Comedy Central, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Fair Elections Center, Levi Strauss & Co, MTV, Patagonia, Pizza to the Polls, Time To Vote, Uber, and We Can Vote, seeking to address the poll worker shortage and recruit a new wave of poll workers ahead of the 2020 election.

Power the Polls is working hard to support and collaborate with election officials across the country, and has welcomed growing support and engagement from prominent organizations and individuals, including President Barack Obama, LeBron James, Faith Hill, Billie Eilish, Trevor Noah, Old Navy, When We All Vote, the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Disability Rights Network,

“We’re excited about this new, expanded initiative to recruit people to be poll workers for the Fall elections,” said Fair Elections Center President Robert Brandon. “We established Work Elections to provide information and make it easy for folks to sign up. This year, with the pandemic affecting the ability of many people who normally work at the polls, we’re pleased to join with these partners to get the word out that poll workers are going to be desperately needed in many communities to help ensure a safe and fair election for voters.” Power the Polls recruits and supports poll workers by:

  • Educating potential voters on the opportunity and experience of manning Election Day polls.
  • Preparing potential poll workers for the experience of staffing polling places on Election Day.
  • Working with election administrators to identify specific areas of need for poll workers.
  • Establishing an efficient and effective program to ensure poll workers sign up and show up on Election Day.
  • Activating businesses to offer their employees flexibility on Election Day or the day off so they can work the polls.

For more information for voters and businesses looking to participate, visit www.powerthepolls.org.