Behind every ballot is a team of ordinary people who make the election happen. They set up polling places, welcome voters, check registrations, hand out ballots and show people how the equipment works. They are poll workers – and democracy cannot run without them.
Three quarters of a million helpers
According to the US Election Assistance Commission, more than 772,000 poll workers served in the 2024 general election. Yet 48% of jurisdictions said they found it somewhat or very difficult to recruit enough of them. Without enough poll workers, polling places close and lines get longer.
Poll workers also tend to be older. A 2017 study found that nearly 60% were aged 61 or over. That is why election officials are working hard to recruit a new generation.
Young people stepping up
In Montgomery County, Maryland, a programme called Future Vote lets students as young as eleven help on election day – greeting voters and showing them where to go. Some of the first participants are now young adults working as poll workers themselves. Groups such as the Poll Hero Project have recruited thousands of high school and college students; in many US states, you can serve as a poll worker before you are old enough to vote.
For many volunteers, it is about giving back. One long-time poll worker in Prince George’s County described it as her civic responsibility – and spoke of the joy of helping excited first-time voters.
How to get involved
- Contact your local election office or municipality and ask about election-day helpers.
- In the US, national days such as Help America Vote Day and National Poll Worker Recruitment Day make it easy to sign up.
- In Denmark and many other countries, municipalities recruit election helpers (valgtilforordnede) – ask your kommune.
Voting is one way to take part in democracy. Helping everyone else vote is another.
