Poll Worker Recruiting Program

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The Oakland County Clerk’s Poll Worker Recruiting Program was created in anticipation of the very busy 2008 election year. The objective was to attract new and diverse election workers to help out at the polls on Election Day. Elections have changed dramatically over the last few years, with the sweeping reforms made under the Help America Vote Act. The election workforce had tended to consist of older residents, true across the country where the average age of poll workers is 72. Working with the cities and townships, they created a campaign to attract varied, new faces, including high school and college students, minorities, and other new workers. The approach of the program was four-fold, including media efforts, a new county clearinghouse to collect names, a new brochure/website, and a special day to draw attention to the need—Help Oakland Vote Day. The recruiting program, which attracted 400 people almost immediately, to date, has attracted a total of 654 people interested in volunteering at the polls.