As Mercer County gears up for this year’s upcoming elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, a pressing need has emerged for poll workers.
Mercer County residents can help play a crucial role in the election process by volunteering to work at the polls on Election Day.
“The biggest issue is that we want people to come out and vote, but if we don’t have the workers, how are they going to vote?” said Jill Moyer, Mercer County Board of Elections chairwoman.
The number of poll workers is not only low in Mercer County—it’s a nation-wide problem. According to estimates from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, about one million poll workers are needed to staff approximately 100,000 polling places across the country this November.
The process to become a poll worker includes several hours of training prior to the date of the election to edu-cate them on procedures. This includes lessons on how to operate machinery, common voting procedures and verifying the voters as residents of the town where they are voting.
Although the position of poll worker is a volunteer role, financial compensation is provided. Workers can earn $150 for a half-day shift or $300 for a full day.
Moyer attributes the low number of volunteers in part to changes introduced in Mercer County in August 2021, including updated voting technology. The new systems, which feature a paper backup, were implemented in re-sponse to public demand for greater security and reliability.
However, the new technology has led to some reluctance among potential poll workers, particularly older indi-viduals who may find the new systems intimidating, Moyer said.
The county has acquired different machines that require slightly more tech-savvy, Moyer said. “I think that is one of the reasons we have lost quite a few workers, it can be intimidating.”
The Board of Elections is particularly keen on attracting younger volunteers. Moyer noted that they are often more adept with technology, which could help mitigate the challenges posed by the new voting machines.
“We’ve been sending letters to colleges to try and get their students to come on board. They seem to pick up the lingo and tech stuff easier,” she said.
Mike Sherr, a Ewing Township resident and recent graduate of The College of New Jersey, has firsthand experi-ence as a poll worker. Sherr, 21, worked at the polls last fall and believes that increasing the number of young volunteers could improve the overall process.
“Being the youngest person in a room full of older people trying to do a job like that was stressful,” Sherr said. “Sometimes they needed extra help, which is fine, but it sometimes fell on me as a younger person to provide that help.”
He added: “As someone who was doing this for the first time, I was in no way prepared to be doing any kind of helping. I think that if more younger people did it, it would be a better experience for everyone, just to have peo-ple be more engaged in the process.”
Sherr, who holds a degree in political science, was introduced to the idea of working at the polls through a profes-sor who offered extra credit for participation. His motivation to volunteer was also driven by a sense of civic duty.
Sherr noted that while the Board of Elections staff were helpful and supportive, the lack of volunteers created challenges.
“Everyone on the board was extremely nice and did everything they possibly could to teach us, but it is harder with such a small number of people involved. But everyone I met was just doing their job,” Sherr said.
The Board of Elections campaign to recruit more poll workers included a public outreach campaign over the summer that culminated with a celebration on National Election Board Worker Recruitment Day on Aug. 1.
The event, which took place at the Board of Elections office in Lawrence, featured election board worker program information, along with a display of election voting equipment, the opportunity for residents to register to vote, and light refreshments.
Residents of Mercer County can find out more about eligibility criteria, duties and hours of work on the Board of Elections website at mercercounty.org/boards-commissions/board-of-elections/board-worker-training.
For those interested in becoming poll workers, the application process is straightforward. Go to mercercoun-ty.org/boards-commissions/board-of-elections/board-worker-application, where residents will find applications for new board workers, reappointment board workers (who served during the 2023 elections) and student board workers.
After completing the application, candidates will receive an email invitation to sign up for training. First-time volunteers will undergo a two-and-a-half to three-hour training session covering machinery operation and voting procedures, while repeat volunteers can take advantage of refresher courses. Additionally, the Board is working on providing online training, which is expected to be available starting in September.
Training begins this month to prepare for the November election. On Election Day, volunteers are expected to work either a full day or a half day, with voting hours running from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Workers are required to arrive at the voting sites no later than 5:15 a.m.
“The dedicated citizens who serve as Election Day board workers truly are the unsung heroes of our election pro-cess. We hope that through this recruitment effort, even more Mercer County residents will take advantage of the opportunity to serve,” said Moyer. “We all work together to make sure our state can vote responsibly. Every vote counts.”
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