(Texas Scorecard) – With high-turnout presidential elections just a few months away, local officials across the country are gearing up to recruit the millions of workers needed to help voters cast their ballots in November.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission declared August 1 as National Poll Worker Recruitment Day.
In Texas, an army of temporary workers is needed to staff polling places on Election Day—Tuesday, November 5—and for 12 days of early voting.
Texas GOP Vice Chair D’rinda Randall told Texas Scorecard she is spearheading a grassroots committee within the Republican Party that is encouraging voters to serve at the polls.
“This is my big push, to get people to understand we can’t just vote,” Randall said. “Voting is not enough right now. We need to make this election too big to rig.”
While federal and state offices are on the November ballot, the elections are administered at the county level and staffed by local voters in the county.
Paid poll worker positions include election judges, clerks, and mail-ballot review boards. Judges are recommended by each major political party and are hired by the county. Each judge may then select clerks to work at their polling place.
Volunteer positions include poll greeters, who work outside the polls, and poll watchers, appointed by candidates or political parties to observe the voting process inside polling places.
Texas Republicans have set election integrity as a high priority again this year and are already organizing locally for November.
The Collin County Republican Party is hosting an information session on August 10 to explain what working at the polls involves.
“People want to participate. They’re looking for a way to get involved,” Collin County GOP Election Administrator Lisa Babb told Texas Scorecard.
“Our session is to help people understand if being a poll worker is the place for them,” she said.
Secretary of State Jane Nelson also encouraged Texans to consider serving as poll workers.
“Poll workers play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and efficiency of our elections,” Nelson said in a statement observing the fourth annual national recruitment campaign.
Nelson noted that students who are at least 16 years of age can serve as student election clerks.
National Poll Worker Recruitment Day is once a year, but finding and training people to work at the polls is a year-round challenge.
Local, state, and federal elections occur throughout the calendar year, with runoffs and special elections adding to the demand for experienced, well-trained poll workers.
Texans interested in serving as a poll worker or volunteering for the 2024 presidential election should contact their county election official or county party office.