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HARRISBURG — When Pennsylvania holds its 2024 general election on Nov. 5, thousands of poll workers will make sure voting goes smoothly. Poll workers are a critical component of our election process and you can be one of them. Counties are currently recruiting people to work in about 9,000 polling places in the state.
Poll workers have the opportunity to serve their state and community, meet new people, and learn about elections in Pennsylvania. Plus, as a bonus for being a “champion of democracy,” they also get paid for their time.
The Pennsylvania Department of State is accepting applications to become a poll worker on an ongoing basis. While there is no hard deadline, people who are interested should apply sooner rather than later.
Want to learn more? Here’s what you need to know:
The needs
There are only a few requirements to become a survey worker. First, you must be a registered voter and can only serve in the county in which you live.
High school students who are juniors or seniors 17 years of age may be eligible to volunteer as student workers if they receive permission from their parent or guardian, and also from their principal. Requirements vary between accounts, so it’s important to check your eligibility with your local county election office to make sure you can volunteer.
Also, poll workers cannot be current government employees or officials, except for district judges, notaries or members of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Likewise, the people whose names are on the ballot are not allowed to be poll workers, except for candidates to the local election board, including election judges.
The duties
Poll workers must be available throughout the election day, before the polls open at 7 a.m. and after they close at 8 a.m.
Poll workers assist in setting up, opening and closing a polling place. They register voters’ names, check, and help with election equipment.
There are a few specialized worker positions that are elected in municipal elections every four years. Each polling place has a local election board composed of a judge of elections, a majority inspector and a minority inspector. All three positions help manage the polling place, keep track of the number of voters, and make sure the results are received by the county elections office.
Other specialized positions – such as the machine operator – support the local election board and are filled by appointment. They supervise the voting devices used in voting.
Regular poll workers, or clerks, help check in voters, man the lines and guide voters through each step of the process.
Poll workers are non-partisan poll watcherswho are nominated by candidates or political parties and can challenge the eligibility of a voter (even if they cannot directly question or talk to them).
The formation
People who want to be poll workers must attend a mandatory training session in person or online before election day.
Each county manages its own training, as voting systems vary. Some counties use optical scanners to process the ballot, while others use different types of voting machines.
Counties also handle training for security threats differently. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, each county addresses what to do in case of general threats and disruptive behavior at the polling place. Survey workers are instructed accordingly.
Additional training courses for survey workers can be found online. They include videos and guides on voter verification, voter identification inspection, and accepting provisional ballots, which are those completed by people whose eligibility cannot be immediately verified.
It pays
According to the Electoral Code, the statutory minimum payment for poll workers is $75 a day, with a maximum payment of $200.
The highest pay is typically reserved for elected positions. Survey workers who attend certain training events may be eligible for additional compensation. In general, the allocation of the payment is largely at the discretion of the county commissioners, and therefore varies from county to county.
How to sign
If you are interested, you can apply by filling out a shape on the website of the Department of State. Some counties have their own forms on their election websites. Visit pa.gov at find your county’s website.
The form asks for basic contact information and place of residence, as well as any special skills that could help as a survey worker, such as fluency in a foreign language.
This information is then sent to your county election office, which will contact you if it needs more workers. If you haven’t heard back in 1-2 weeks after submitting your application, you can follow up with yours local county election office.
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