There’s a greater need than ever for young adults to step up and help America pull off a fair election. Working the polls on Election Day, Nov. 3, could also help you make a few bucks.
According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, becoming an election worker is easy, and it starts with checking the rules in your state:
- Find out if you must be a registered voter in the state.
- Find out if there is an age requirement.
- Find out if there is a residency requirement.
- Find out if a political party affiliation is required.
If you are qualified, contact your local election office to sign up, or get information emailed to you by signing up with nonprofit organization Power The Polls. Pay varies by municipality.
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Pew Research found 58% of poll workers in the 2018 election were over age of 60, a demographic that is particularly susceptible to coronavirus. So health concerns have left hundreds of thousands of polling place shifts unfilled.
Without enough poll workers, cities and counties will have to close precincts and consolidate voting centers, which creates longer lines and bigger crowds. It also can disenfranchise older voters, working parents, voters with a disability who cannot cast a ballot by mail, and voters without reliable vehicles.
That’s why fitness and infomercial legend Tony Little is pitching in too, urging NBCLX viewers to work the polls on November 3, as well as the weeks leading up to Election Day in states with early voting.
“You can do it!,” Little says, lending his signature catchphrase to the cause. “If you want a country where everyone who wants to vote, gets to vote, then volunteer!”
For more important election information such as how to register, where to vote, and when you need to get your mail ballots submitted, check out the NBCLX official voter guide: LX.com/vote