With Election Day in less than three months, the state and civic groups are seeking to recruit thousands of temporary poll workers, with local clerks saying they face an increasing need as workers age and as early voting requires more staffing.
The governor even highlighted Tuesday, Aug. 11, as "Poll Worker Recruitment Day."
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is planning to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money on a campaign dubbed Support MI Clerks to recruit more poll workers, the number of whom has dwindled in the past few years.
"Elections are important, and more important now than ever," Dan Papineau, the senior director of strategic initiatives at the state chamber, told the Free Press. "People need to trust the electoral process
and getting engaged could be a huge piece of that."
The chamber hopes that businesses will support employees taking on election jobs.
It also is sending a representative to groups — local chamber of commerce, Rotary Clubs, nonprofits, public libraries and other civic groups — to make presentations on pitching the job to people and tell them what is required to become a poll worker.
Why more poll workers are needed
Part of the challenge now, Papineau said, is that many of the workers — who are paid, but not a lot — are aging. In 2020, 65% of poll workers, he said, were 61 or older and nearly a third of them were at least in their 70s. On top of that, he added, thousands of workers aren’t returning.
Early voting — and higher turnouts — tends to require more workers.
The governor’s proclamation pointed out that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission had designated the date as National Poll Worker Recruitment Day "to promote civic participation" and "to recognize the essential role poll workers play in conducting secure, accessible, and transparent elections."
Of course, Papineau pointed out, it will take more than a day to hire all the workers municipalities need, and if local clerks don’t get enough temporary workers, that could lead to long lines to vote, checking IDs and delays when it comes to getting all the votes counted.
Each community in Michigan hires and trains its own workers separately, and sets their pay, which tends to range from about $100 to more than $300. Workers are charged with helping to run local elections in compliance with the law.
To become a poll worker, which is also sometimes referred to as an election inspector, you can sign up with the Michigan Secretary of State’s office and check in with your local clerk. The support campaign is also urging those who are interested in working to recruit friends and promote the need on social media.
Requirements to become a poll worker
- To be eligible, you must be at least 16 years old.
- Adults also must be registered to vote.
- However, you can apply to work at any clerk’s office in Michigan, not just your own.
- You must have a criminal history free of any felony or election crime convictions. You may not be a poll worker and an election challenger, a candidate, or a member of a candidate's immediate family or a member of the local board of canvassers.
- Party registration is not a requirement. However, party affiliation disclosure is. The reason: clerks must ensure balanced staffing. Identifying as "independent" is not an option.
If you are thinking about becoming a worker, election officials are urging that you don’t delay signing up for the job, but they also urged patience while waiting to hear back from someone. Like any other job, the officials said, it can take time to get a response.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan needs thousands more poll workers for the Nov. 3 election
