Contents 

Introduction: The Special Qualities of Student Poll Workers........................................... 1

What To Expect From the Guidebook ................................................................................... 1

Student Poll Worker Strengths .............................................................................................. 2

Student Poll Worker Challenges............................................................................................ 3

Legal Guidelines for College Poll Worker Programs .......................................................... 5

Residency and Registration .................................................................................................. 5

Political Party Affiliation......................................................................................................... 7

Term Requirements ............................................................................................................... 7

Creating a School Partnership.................................................................................................. 9

Factors To Consider When Establishing a School Partnership............................................. 9

Aim for the Top: Enlisting Local College or University Participation ................................... 10

Creating a Team: The Campus Champion and the Team............................................... 11

The Importance of a Campus Champion ............................................................................ 11

 The Role of the Campus Champion.................................................................................... 12

How To Select a Campus Champion .................................................................................. 12

How To Build a Well-Functioning Team............................................................................... 13

The Election Office Liaison.................................................................................................. 14

Timing............................................................................................................................................. 15

Start Early............................................................................................................................ 15

Timelines Help..................................................................................................................... 16

 Sample Student Poll Worker Calendar................................................................................ 16

Developing the Program........................................................................................................... 17

Establish a Clear Relationship and Easy Communication as Early as Possible ................. 17

Sample Memorandum of Understanding............................................................................ 18

Issues To Discuss................................................................................................................ 19

The Recruitment Process......................................................................................................... 21

Developing Policies and Procedures To Facilitate the Student Poll Worker Application 

Process ............................................................................................................................. 21

Sample College Poll Worker Application............................................................................. 23

Anticipating Student Concerns ........................................................................................... 24

Recruitment Methods.......................................................................................................... 25

Sample Excused Absence Policy........................................................................................ 27

Recruitment Tools................................................................................................................ 28

Sample Recruitment Posters............................................................................................... 29

Sample Press Release......................................................................................................... 33

Recruiting Minority and Bilingual Students......................................................................... 35

Outreach Techniques........................................................................................................... 35

Tips for Schools: Public Recognition .................................................................................. 37
ii

Integrating Poll Work Into the Classroom............................................................................ 39

Announcements in Class..................................................................................................... 39

Sample Letter to Faculty ..................................................................................................... 40

Excused Absences.............................................................................................................. 41

Extra Credit.......................................................................................................................... 41

Service Learning Requirement ............................................................................................ 42

Create a New Class............................................................................................................. 43

Suggestions for a Course Reading List............................................................................... 44

Sample Curriculum.............................................................................................................. 46

Student Commitment................................................................................................................ 47

The Problem of Attrition ...................................................................................................... 47

Effective Strategies.............................................................................................................. 48

Sample Forms To Track Student Participation.................................................................... 49

Training Student Poll Workers................................................................................................. 51

 Training Content .................................................................................................................. 51

Augmenting Poll Worker Training ........................................................................................ 52

Training for Intergenerational Communication .................................................................... 53

Evaluating Your Program.......................................................................................................... 55

Sample Student Survey....................................................................................................... 55

Program Sustainability .............................................................................................................. 57

Designing a Sustainable Program ....................................................................................... 57

Steps To Building a Sustainable Program........................................................................... 57

Top 10 Keys to Success for Election Officials..................................................................... 59

Top 10 Keys to Success for Schools................................................................................... 60

Background and Methodology............................................................................................... 63

The Guidebook.................................................................................................................... 63

This guidebook contains sample documents used by various State and local 

election jurisdictions. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has published 

these documents with the express permission of its owner. These documents 

are intended to be representative of relevant election administration practice 

throughout the nation and to illustrate the concepts being described in the 

text. The inclusion of these samples in this guidebook does not constitute 

an endorsement by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Additionally, 

as State law varies and is subject to change, readers are cautioned to obtain 

legal advice prior to adopting any new policy, procedure or document.

2nd Edition
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was 

established by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 

to serve as a clearinghouse and resource of information on 

election administration. Congress directed EAC to develop 

the HAVA College Program and to develop materials, sponsor 

seminars and workshops, and engage in advertising targeted 

at students.

What To Expect From the Guidebook

This guidebook was developed to help address this congressional directive and is the result of a 17-month applied research 

study commissioned by the EAC. It was implemented by 

Cleveland State University with input from a project working 

group and three pilot project sites that were partnerships 

between local colleges and universities and local election offices. 

This guidebook offers a collection of practical and successful 

methods of recruiting, training, and retaining college 

students—an important category of poll workers. This 

guidebook describes the particular strengths these energetic 

and enthusiastic young voters bring to the task and the 

field-tested strategies for designing and running a college poll 

worker program; it also lists the challenges inherent in working 

with college students. 

Two groups will benefit from using this guidebook: colleges 

and universities interested in motivating their students 

to become involved in the electoral process and election 

jurisdictions interested in recruiting college students to serve 

as poll workers. 

Every practice recommended in this guidebook has been 

tested in the field by election professionals and college/

university staff and faculty. The strategies and practices 

described in this guidebook are based on three criteria: they 

must be practical, replicable, and sustainable. The guidebook 

is organized in an easy-to-follow format that enables readers 

to develop programs to fit their specific needs and provides 

Note on Terminology

The immense variety of election 

terms can be confusing. Across 

the country, poll workers are 

called judges, booth workers, 

precinct officials, board workers, 

and poll workers. For simplicity, 

this guidebook refers to all people 

who serve in a polling place as 

poll workers. Similarly, elections 

are run by many different local 

government entities, from a 

county board of elections or city 

elections department to a city or 

county clerk’s office. This guidebook refers to all government 

units running elections as election 

jurisdictions.

Introduction

The Special Qualities of Student 

Poll Workers 

In This Chapter 

• What To Expect From the Guidebook

• Student Poll Worker Strengths

• Student Poll Worker Challenges
Photo credit: Cleveland State University

“There is a critical shortage of 

poll workers in this country. 

Many election officials fear the 

problem will grow even worse as 

the volunteers they rely on, many 

of them retirees, grow older with 

little national effort to recruit new 

volunteers. Experienced and 

well-trained poll workers are 

essential to making our elections 

run properly....”

—House Report from 

Help America Vote Act

a timeline of activities for planning and implementing student 

poll worker programs. Some sections are more pertinent to 

a college administrator than to an election jurisdiction official 

(or vice versa); these sections are clearly labeled. Members 

of either group, however, may find it useful to read the entire 

manual to form a better understanding of their counterpart’s 

role in a college poll worker recruitment program. 

Not all college poll worker programs will be identical. The 

sample materials provided are meant to spark ideas and 

serve as templates, not necessarily to be copied verbatim. 

A given program’s design will depend to varying degrees 

on the needs of the election jurisdiction, the composition 

of the student body available for recruitment, and the role 

the college or university is able and willing to play. The 

following examples from different programs suggest possible 

approaches: 

• A professor made poll work a class requirement by building 

it into the curriculum as a service-learning assignment. Of 

30 students in the class, 25 participated.

• A community college, with active support from the college 

president, ran a recruitment campaign with posters, 

information tables, mass e-mails, media coverage, and peer 

recruiters. The school recruited approximately 150 students. 

• The political science department of a large university 

decided to award five extra credit points for any student in 

an introductory course who served as a poll worker. The 

school recruited about 250 students. 

• A university’s sorority and soccer team each “adopted” a 

single polling place. The school recruited 10 students.

• A university’s career services office sent an e-mail to all 

students announcing an Election Day job opportunity as a 

poll worker. The school recruited about 50 students.

Student Poll Worker Strengths

College students bring important strengths to the polling 

process, including the following: 

• College students are highly intelligent and accustomed to 

learning new things. 

• They tend to be comfortable with computers and other 

new technologies and may bring skills that can solve 

technology-related problems. These skills are increasingly 

important, given the greater use of electronic polling 

equipment.
• They have enough energy and enthusiasm to get through a 

long day at the polls.

• They are usually strong enough to carry supplies and set up 

heavy equipment.

• They often have flexible schedules.

College student poll workers find the poll working experience 

benefits themselves and the community at large. They are 

more likely to vote and to develop a lifelong commitment to 

civic involvement if they are encouraged and integrated into 

the electoral system in their student years. Serving as a poll 

worker can facilitate this process.

Student Poll Worker Challenges

The use of college poll workers, however, presents special 

challenges, including the following:

• Some State laws may limit or prohibit the use of 

nonresident college students as poll workers.

• In addition to requiring an effective election jurisdiction 

program, student poll worker programs require an effective 

campus recruitment and management process. These 

programs require a substantial investment of time to design, 

implement, and manage. 

• Although students are often enthusiastic and more available 

for poll work than people who are fully employed, many 

interests and commitments compete for students’ time 

and attention. Special retention techniques should be used 

to sustain their interest in poll work and their reliability as 

workers.

Photo credit: Cleveland State University

Legal Guidelines

Legal Guidelines for College 

Poll Worker Programs 

In This Chapter 

• Residency and Registration

• Political Party Affiliation

• Term Requirements

A fundamental question for schools and election officials 

wanting to establish student poll worker programs is whether 

their State’s laws will unduly hamper their ability to do so. 

States’ legal criteria for the selection of poll workers can 

impede the establishment and implementation of college 

poll worker programs in three ways:

1. Some State registration and residency requirements limit or 

prohibit participation by college students. 

2. Some State laws mandate that poll workers be affiliated 

with political parties or be chosen primarily from 

nominations by political parties. 

3. Many State laws obligate poll workers to serve for a specific 

number of years, a condition that may be difficult for 

college students to fulfill. 

Residency and Registration

In most cases, a poll worker must be registered to vote in 

the State in which he or she lives. Some States do not allow 

out-of-State college students to register, because they do 

not consider them to be bona fide State residents. 

Even when students are allowed to register, the State often 

requires or prefers that poll workers be voters in the precinct 

or county where they serve. 

• Approximately 30 States have statutory preferences for 

poll workers to be residents of the precincts in which they 

work, although it is difficult to know whether those statutory 

preferences are honored in administrative practice, or 

whether lack of county residence is truly a limiting factor for 

potential student poll workers. 

• Two States—California and Massachusetts—allow State 

residents to serve as poll workers anywhere in the State. 

Photo credit: Grand Rapids, MI, city clerk
• Six other States allow State residents to serve as poll 

workers anywhere in the State if insufficient numbers of 

county residents are available: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, 

Maryland, Minnesota, and Virginia. 

• At least one State, Delaware, has created a special 

exception for students. Normally, Delaware poll workers 

must be residents of the election district in which they 

serve, unless an insufficient number of local workers 

necessitates the appointment of residents elsewhere in 

the county. Delaware’s election law, however, includes a 

college student exception, allowing State residents who 

are registered voters and who are enrolled at least half time 

as students in colleges or universities within the respective 

county to be appointed as election officers for that county. 

• Other States allow students to serve as poll workers but 

may deny them the right to vote in that State. 

Restrictions on the registration of college students usually 

are based on the premise that their residence is not bona 

fide because their presence is temporary and the community 

in which their college is located is not their primary concern. 

Critics of these State laws say such restrictions create an 

ethical dilemma by asking a college student to be a poll 

worker in a precinct, county, or State that will not allow him 

or her to register to vote. They argue that a student’s 

willingness to serve as a poll worker is strong evidence 

of interest in the community. 

Several States have changed their laws in recent years to 

allow State residents to serve as poll workers in any county, 

regardless of where they are registered to vote. Some 

jurisdictions obtain special disclaimers allowing them to 

use nonresidents. Others create special roles for students that 

do not require residency. For example, out-of-State students 

at the University of Baltimore were able to serve 

as “parallel testers” of the State’s new election voting system 

on Election Day. 

Those who administer student poll worker programs should 

also be aware of other possible effects of State requirements. 

Some States allow students to register in the jurisdiction 

where the college is located, which means that almost all 

students will be voters in one precinct. Since only three or 

four poll workers are usually needed in any given precinct, 

if the State follows a protocol giving preference to residents 

of the precincts over nonresident students, very few spots 

may be available for college poll workers. 

In addition, some out-of-State students may prefer to remain 

registered in their home State and to cast absentee ballots. 

A 2004 survey found that 70 percent of college students 

“The position inspired so much 

passion in me to continue the fight 

for justice and equality, so that 

this country can continue to be a 

greater and better democracy.”

—College poll worker, Wiley 

College
reg

ister to vote in their hometowns, while only 28 percent 

register at their school address. Research suggests that 

those who change their voter registration to their school 

address believe their vote matters more in their new location 

than in their hometown.

Political Party Affiliation

Many States require that poll workers be affiliated with a 

political party. At the time this guidebook was written, all 

but six States or territories (California, the District of 

Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Nevada) either 

require that poll workers have political party affiliation or 

that preferences be given to the political parties’ nominees. 

Massachusetts, for example, allows the selection of a limited 

number of unaffiliated poll workers, but only after the leading 

political parties are represented. Even when party affiliation 

is not explicitly required, in practice, poll workers are often 

chosen first from party lists and unaffiliated candidates are 

chosen only when insufficient numbers of party members are 

available to serve. Political parties should be made aware 

of college student programs and should be asked to invite 

qualified students to serve as poll workers. 

Term Requirements

Of all the States, 23 have poll worker term requirements, 

ranging from 1 to 4 years, which might be very difficult 

for college students to honor. The rigor with which such 

requirements are enforced may depend on the language in 

a given State statute. Wisconsin, for example, has a 2-year 

term and statutory language explicitly stating that poll workers 

“shall serve at every election in the ward during their term of 

office.” On the other hand, some States appear to interpret 

the term requirement as merely stating the period of time 

during which the poll worker is certified, rather than requiring 

that the poll worker actually be available for every election 

during that period. Certain States have a practice of sending 

notices to certified election workers asking if they are available 

for an upcoming election. 

A number of States have terms of service only for poll 

workers in positions of highest authority, while allowing the 

appointment of poll workers with lesser responsibilites for 

each election. In Pennsylvania, poll judges and inspectors 

are elected for 4-year terms. Those elected officials, in turn, 

appoint clerks and machine operators on an election-byelection basis. Such procedures may ease the participation 

of college poll workers in subordinate positions, but possibly 

at the cost of relegating them to less interesting work.

Creating a School Partnership

In This Chapter 

• Factors To Consider When Establishing a School 

Partnership

• Aim for the Top: Enlisting Local College or University Participation

Factors To Consider When Establishing a School

Partnership

Just as some States are more receptive to student poll 

worker programs than others, some universities and colleges 

are better suited to providing poll workers. Although every 

school is different, the following general considerations 

can affect the success of a recruitment program.

Students From Out of Town. As stated in the previous 

chapter, in States where residency requirements for poll 

workers limit student participation, a school whose student 

body is predominantly from outside the State (or elsewhere 

in the same State) may find participation difficult. Community 

colleges have an advantage because their students are almost 

exclusively local residents and are likely to be registered in 

the area where they would be asked to work. State schools’ 

students tend be primarily from within their State, which 

may also facilitate their service as poll workers. Students in 

community colleges or State universities are also more likely 

to remain in the area after graduation, which may make them 

long-term partners for election officials. At these schools, 

election officials can enlist the same students regularly and 

enter them into a permanent database. 

Students Who Work. All schools have some students who 

work; however, community colleges tend to have a majority 

of students with full-time jobs. Working a full day at the polls 

may be impossible for these students. A smaller private school 

with most full-time students living on campus may have a 

higher proportion of students available for a full day’s poll work, 

especially if the school adopts a policy excusing them from all 

classes on Election Day. 

Size of the Student Body. The size of a school’s student 

body affects the kinds of recruitment methods needed to 

interest students in poll worker service. In a small school, a 

recruiter is more likely to have one-on-one contact with a larger 

percentage of the student body and to have more high-quality 

networking opportunities. In addition, student peer networks 

will also be tighter. Small campuses may also make it easier to 

create a sense of excitement around a program. 

Photo credit: Cleveland State University
10

Larger schools, however, are more likely to have a wellestablished e-mail system and Web site that students rely on, 

which facilitates easy and inexpensive contact with students. 

Also, at large universities, a great number of students often 

can be reached simply by targeting a few core classes.

For example, 10 professors teaching an “Introduction to 

Government” class with an average of 200 students per class 

means reaching 2,000 students with very little effort. If each 

professor offers extra credit for poll work, the number of 

students who volunteer could be significant.

Aim for the Top: Enlisting Local College or 

University Participation

Election officials who have not yet identified colleagues at 

local schools to help recruit college students should try to 

start at the top. Gaining support from high-level campus 

administrators will greatly ease the tasks of finding a campus 

coordinator and implementing the program. 

A variety of approaches can be employed. An election 

director or board chairman could call the college or university 

president to explain the proposed program and to ask to be 

put in touch with staff or faculty members who might serve as 

election liaisons. Election officials have also used connections 

with their State senators or representatives to ask them to 

initiate contact with a school. Inviting all area schools to an 

introductory meeting to encourage participation in poll worker 

programs may cause administrators from different colleges to 

motivate each other. Because school presidents are usually 

interested in positive media coverage, an offer to send out 

a press release about an agreed-upon partnership may 

provide added incentive. 

When the college or university president has agreed that the 

school will participate, he or she can pave the way to full 

campus support. Election officials may wish to suggest that 

the school president promote a campuswide policy excusing 

student poll workers from all classes on Election Day. The 

school president also could work with faculty to develop 

an extra-credit policy for student poll workers. Although some 

presidents have more influence than others in these matters, 

starting at the top is usually the best way to begin a long-term 

working relationship with a school.

“I helped a Somali woman vote 

for the first time and she gave me 

a hug. It was the most patriotic 

feeling I’ve ever had.” 

—College poll worker, Suffolk 

University
Creating a Team 11

The Importance of a Campus Champion 

Running a successful college poll worker program requires 

two key people: a dedicated staff person at the election 

jurisdiction and an advocate, or campus champion, at the 

partner school to present the program to students. This section 

explores the role of a campus champion, how to find one, 

and how to develop his or her team. The school’s poll worker 

advocate and the election jurisdiction leaders will interact, so 

their tasks should be coordinated. This section also discusses 

the important role of the election office liaison. 

Colleges have successfully managed student poll worker 

programs through a variety of school structures, including 

academic departments, service learning or career services 

offices, and student activity centers. What is more important 

than which department the program falls under is that it be 

led by someone who is committed to fostering the program’s 

needs and administering it effectively. This campus champion 

serves as the main contact for students and as the liaison 

to election officials. The more passionate the champion is 

about the student poll worker program, the better, because 

the champion will spread enthusiasm and energy about the 

initiative and attract others to the cause. 

The campus champion may be a professor or student services 

staff member or may hold another staff position, but he or 

she must be willing to commit the substantial amount of 

time required to manage a well-run program. At California 

State University, Long Beach, the secretary of the political 

science department dedicates 4 to 5 hours per day for several 

weeks before an election. The program administrator at 

Roxbury Community College worked 35 hours per week for 

the 8 weeks of the college’s 2004 program. Cleveland State 

University’s Office of Career Services committed two parttime staff people to run its program; each person works 15 to 

20 hours per week for 3 months. 

The Campus Champion and the 

Team

In This Chapter 

• The Importance of a Campus Champion

• The Role of the Campus Champion

• How To Select a Campus Champion

• How To Build a Well-Functioning Team

• The Election Office Liaison

“Championing a college poll 

worker program is generally done 

as a labor of love.” 

—Charles Noble, political science 

professor and campus champion, 

California State University, Long 

Beach
12

The campus champion serves as spokesperson and advocate 

for the program. He or she may go to classes to recruit 

students or speak at general school events. The champion 

also serves as an administrator and must be prepared for 

the many and various student problems and concerns which 

inevitably will arise, including students’ inability to attend 

training, rescheduling needs, miscommunication between 

students and election officials regarding precinct assignments 

or records of students’ poll service, and transportation to 

polling sites. 

The Role of the Campus Champion

The following examples illustrate tasks for the campus 

champion and his or her team: 

• Planning recruitment strategy.

• Providing poll worker applications, voter registration forms, 

and absentee ballots to students.

• Going to classes to promote the program and recruit students.

• Answering students’ questions about serving as poll workers.

• Collecting applications and e-mailing, faxing, or sending 

forms to the election jurisdiction.

• Following up with students who did not fill out applications 

correctly.

• Facilitating on-campus training.

• Confirming student assignments with the election jurisdiction.

• Reminding students of training and Election Day assignments.

• Following up after the election to verify student service.

• Planning a “thank-you” event for the students.

How To Select a Campus Champion

It may take patience to select your “champion” at a local 

school. Send out multiple feelers to find the right person, 

and meet with interested potential partners. 

Tip for Attracting Faculty

The champion needs to work 

closely with faculty to encourage them to integrate poll work 

experience into their curriculum 

(or, at the very least, to agree to 

excuse student absences from 

class on Election Day). 

Faculty generally will not want 

the added administrative duty of 

tracking which of their students 

are working as poll workers. The 

campus champion should make 

it as easy as possible for faculty 

to be involved.
13

Ask for recommendations for a champion from the following 

sources:

• The college or university president.

• Faculty officials, such as department heads (including, in 

particular, the head of the political science department).

• The department of student services or student life.

• The office of service learning.

• The office of career services.

• The employment office.

• The student government association.

• Leaders of the campus voter registration campaign.

When you find a passionate champion, nurture the 

relationship. Keep in touch with your champion between 

elections. Be aware that positions at universities frequently 

change (for example, department heads change and faculty 

take sabbaticals) so your champion may not be able to serve 

in this role the following year.

How To Build a Well-Functioning Team

To be effective, every champion needs a strong team. 

Champions, and their poll worker programs function 

better when administrative staff are available to execute 

organizational tasks, answer students’ questions, and solve 

problems. Champions should also build a multidisciplinary 

team of individuals and campus organizations to help 

implement the program. This will help improve the program’s 

results by allowing access to different individuals’ skills and 

by increasing access to students. Campus champions should 

consider collaborating with—

• Interested faculty members and department heads.

• The department of student services.

• The office of service learning or career services.

• The student government association.

• Student groups, such as fraternities, sororities, and sports 

teams.

• Campus news outlets (newspaper, radio, television).

Photo credit: Northampton Community 

College
14

• Voter education and registration groups on campus.

• The department of public or media relations.

It is not enough, however, to merely add a wide variety 

of individuals to a program to make it strong. The campus 

champion must ensure that all participants are following 

the same plan. The champion needs to maintain leadership 

and keep everyone working together. 

The champion will need to work closely and tactfully with 

campus faculty, whose cooperation can be vital to the 

success of the poll worker program. The champion should 

encourage professors to integrate poll work experience 

into their curricula, or, at the very least, agree to excuse 

student absences from class on Election Day. 

Champions should avoid burdening faculty with the 

administrative duties of monitoring which of their students 

serve as poll workers and evaluating their performance in 

those roles, because many faculty members will resist taking 

on these duties. 

The campus champion should make it as easy as possible for 

faculty to be involved (see the section on Integrating Poll Work 

Into the Classroom). In one county, faculty who participate 

in the program by recruiting students are paid a small poll 

worker stipend as a “thank you” for the time and effort they 

contribute. Although it is not much money, it is an effective 

way to show appreciation.

The Election Office Liaison

Just as schools should designate a campus champion, 

election jurisdictions should also identify someone to serve 

as the main liaison with schools providing poll workers. This 

person should be responsible for reaching out to schools and 

for serving as the contact with the jurisdiction to answer poll 

worker program questions and solve problems as they arise. 

The college poll worker program may need special attention in 

its startup year.

Depending on the design and scope of the program, this may 

require an extensive time commitment. Election jurisdictions 

report working with student poll workers for 10 to 25 hours per 

week during the 4 weeks before an election. Based on their 

experience, they recommend that jurisdictions hire a part-time 

employee for 6 months to coordinate and administer the program.

“Several wardens told me on election day that ‘they could not have 

done it without our students.’ It 

felt good to hear that many older 

elections officials truly appreciated 

young people getting involved in 

what is usually their turf.” 

—Ree Armitage, campus champion, Suffolk University
15

Start Early 

Timing is so critical to the success of student poll worker 

programs that it merits separate discussion. Designing and 

implementing these programs—especially new programs—

take much more time than might be anticipated. 

Election officials and college administrators who have 

experience with student poll worker programs recommend 

beginning to plan programs as early as January of a generalelection year. It takes time to develop a good relationship 

between the school and the election jurisdiction. It cannot 

be done during the rush of final election preparations. Both 

election and school officials need time to approve policies and 

coordinate timelines for recruitment and training.

Election officials should keep in mind that schools may work 

with several jurisdictions and will need time to establish a 

good relationship with each. 

Both sides will need time to comply with State poll worker 

requirements and discuss alternative roles for students 

who do not meet them.

An early start also gives a school time to establish a good 

internal team, introduce information about working the polls 

into registration and welcome week activities, and integrate 

the program into course outlines. Have all recruitment materials 

(handouts, posters, banners, and/or Web site) ready before 

students arrive on campus for the Fall semester. This allows 

you to start recruiting immediately.

After a college recruitment program is in place, with committed 

advocates on campus and established relationships with local 

election officials, the bulk of the work will be in two phases: 

(1) recruitment efforts at the beginning of each semester and 

(2) the time preceding and immediately following Election Day. 

Timing

In This Chapter 

• Start Early

• Timelines Help

• Sample Student Poll Worker Calendar

Important Dates for Any 

Timeline

School Dates

• Welcome week and other new 

student activities.

• Course registration period.

• Classes begin.

• Midterms and finals.

• Campuswide events.

• Deadlines for entries for campus 

publications.

• Mailers going out to entire 

student body. 

Election Jurisdiction Dates

• Primary Election Day.

• Voter registration deadline.

• Poll worker application deadline.

• Other statutory or logistical 

deadlines.

• Training schedule.

• General Election Day.
16

SAMPLE STUDENT POLLWORKER CALENDAR

for Election Officials 

Adapted/Excerpted from Los Angeles County Calendar 

EDAYBEGIN 

DATE 

END

DATE EVENT WHO DONE

E-200 

Refer to previous elections to determine hard to recruit 

problem areas. Decide where College Pollworkers are 

needed.

K.M. 

E-180 Make calls to College contacts and get commitment for this 

year’s program. Discuss number of pollworkers needed. 

E-80 Mail the Student Application Packets to participating colleges 

with the training schedule. Include Voter Registration cards. 

E-55 Visit college classes to discuss Election Day opportunities. 

Bring voting machines and extra Application Packets. 

E-50 Schedule Pollworker Training Class on college campus. 

E-50 As student application forms are received, assign students to 

polls. Send out appointment notices with training schedule. 

E-34 DEADLINE to receive College Pollworker Applications. 

E-4 Fax report of college pollworkers who are assigned to serve to

the university. 

E-Day 11-7-06 ELECTION DAY 

E+13 

Generate a report of who served on Election Day. Send list to 

College contacts. Generate payroll. Call students to find out 

the reason for no shows. 

E+17 Collect evaluations from College Pollworkers. 

E+22 

Prepare pie charts of post election results for the following: 

Number of student application received 

Number of students placed vs. not placed 

Number of student served, cancelled and no shows 

E+27 

Send Campus Champion and college students “Certificates of 

Appreciation” and thank you letters to everyone who 

participated. 

Timelines Help

A good timeline will facilitate college poll worker 

program planning. An 8-month calendar used 

by Los Angeles County, CA, to implement its 

program is printed below. Even if a student 

program must be implemented in less than 

8 months, this “to do” list can help you create 

your own timeline of tasks. A list of typical 

calendar items is included on the previous 

page. Regardless of when a school and election 

jurisdiction begin their joint program, they 

should take time to develop a common work 

plan, clarify roles and expectations, and list the 

important dates, including when applications 

are due, when training begins and ends, and 

dates of midterm exams. Each side should be 

aware of the other’s calendar items as well as 

their own obligations.
17

Student poll worker programs vary significantly. Similar steps, 

however, can facilitate the development of any schooljurisdiction relationship and student poll worker program. 

Here are several suggestions for laying the groundwork for

a successful and sustainable program.

Establish a Clear Relationship and Easy 

Communication as Early as Possible

The key personnel and obligations of both sides in a student 

poll worker program must be clearly identified. If the program 

is intended to be ongoing and involve more than a small group 

of students, it may make sense for the school and jurisdiction to 

enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU), a written 

document governing the relationship between the school and 

the jurisdiction by outlining each side’s roles in and expectations 

for the program. Although signing an MOU is a formal step, 

it provides a clear understanding from the beginning and can 

help build trust between the parties. In addition, announcing 

the signing of an MOU to the press can garner positive media 

attention for both partners and for the student poll worker 

program.

Sometimes school-jurisdiction relationships begin without a 

MOU, making a more formalized agreement only if and when 

the program proves successful. Even without an MOU, it 

is important to clearly define to both sides’ satisfaction the 

elements of the poll worker program, the process by which it 

will be developed, and the timeline under which it will unfold. 

An initial luncheon meeting of the main players is a friendly 

way to establish a working relationship and to clarify needs, 

timelines, and requirements in one meeting. 

The parties may wish to establish a regular weekly meeting 

or phone call to work on the program. As elections draw near 

and schedules get busy, having a set time when you know 

you can reach each other will be invaluable. Schools need 

to be aware that election jurisdictions are public entities 

and that their officials are often subject to public scrutiny.

Developing the Program

In This Chapter 

• Establish a Clear Relationship and 

Easy Communication as Early as Possible

• Sample Memorandum of Understanding

• Issues To Discuss

Tip for Election Officials

Student Intern. If your poll 

worker recruitment staff is already 

overextended, consider hiring a 

part-time intern from the partner 

school to serve in the role of 

liaison. The intern can answer 

questions, track applications 

from students, smooth the 

communication between 

the school and the election 

jurisdiction, and possibly aid in 

recruiting other students.
18

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 

between 

THE LOCAL ELECTION BOARD/COMMISSION 

(hereafter referred to as ELECT) 

and 

ABC-XYZ COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY 

(hereafter referred to as ABC U) 

to jointly implement 

A College Pollworker Recruitment Program 

Preamble: Recognizing the shortage of pollworkers faced by our community as well as the special skills, 

knowledge, and energy that students can offer, the leadership of ELECT and ABC U have agreed to jointly 

support and implement a College Pollworker Recruitment program. Both parties appreciate the tremendous 

civic experience being a pollworker can offer in shaping students’ lifelong outlook on the democratic 

process and the role they can play as individuals within a greater community. 

1. Names of Key Liaisons: ______________ will be the lead liaison and “campus champion” for the 

program on ABC U campus. _______________ will be the main liaison and election official in charge of 

implementation for ELECT. 

2. Goals: ELECT faces a potential shortage of approximately ___# pollworkers for the elections on 

_________ (year or date). As part of this partnered effort, ABC U plans to recruit and train ____# qualified 

college students to fill pollworker slots. These goals will be modified in subsequent years to reflect actual 

needs. 

3. Timeline: ELECT needs the names and contact information of interested students by ______ (date or 

XX days before the election). Qualified students will receive their pollworker assignment and information 

from ELECT within ____ days of filling out an application. 

4. Special Roles for Students (Optional. This is meant as an example only. Actual alternative roles depend 

on needs of election jurisdiction, voting technology used, and legal requirements of the state.) For those 

students who do not meet regular pollworker requirements (e.g., they are registered to vote in a different 

state, etc.), ELECT will create two special positions of “roving technician” and “translator.” These 

positions will take advantage of interested students with special computer or language skills. 

5. Roles and Expectations (These are examples; modify as desired.): 

• ELECT will supply all pollworker recruitment materials to ABC U 

• ABC U will distribute and post recruitment materials in high traffic areas on campus, on their 

website, to targeted classes, through the university email system, and in the school newspaper. 

• ABC U will grant all students who work as pollworkers on Election Day with an excused absence 

from all classes. ABC U will request that its faculty not schedule tests or assign due dates for 

major assignments on Election Day. 

• ELECT will send out press releases to local media on this groundbreaking partnership with ABC 

U and the important role the students are fulfilling for the community. 

• ABC U will provide space and logistics for pollworker training session(s) on campus. 

• ELECT will conduct special pollworker training session(s) with students on campus 

• ELECT and ABC U will coordinate their efforts via their liaisons and other personnel to secure 

the success and longevity of the college pollworker recruitment program 

This Memorandum of Understanding can be modified at anytime if both parties agree to the modification.
19

Issues To Discuss

A clear agreement on the issues listed below is critical to the 

design of a program. School and election officials may want 

to review their initial decisions on these issues as matters 

evolve, but as long as they are in regular communication, 

this should not cause problems. 

• Review the State requirements for poll workers. Do all 

poll workers have to be registered to vote in the election jurisdiction? What additional local requirements or variations 

are in the State guidelines? Do these issues affect student 

recruitment? Officials may need to register students to vote 

when they are recruited as poll workers; some students 

may not be eligible.

• How many poll workers are needed? Decide on the 

number of college students to be recruited. It is extremely 

discouraging for a student to get excited about working at 

the polls and attend training, only to learn that he or she is 

not needed. Take into consideration the number of students 

who can be processed and trained with available resources. 

Be realistic.

• How will poll workers be used? Sometimes roles are 

specified in a Sate’s election statutes, but it is often left to 

the local jurisdiction’s discretion to create needed positions. 

Local jurisdictions must decide what positions they will have 

and what requirements are specified for any special positions. 

Students often express particular interest in those jobs that 

require them to be active, moving between precincts on 

Election Day, and using whatever special skills they may have 

(technical, language) to feel they have really contributed something vital to the electoral process. These can include—

• Serving as runners.

• Serving as voting center coordinators.

• Answering phones at election headquarters.

• Working information tables.

• Serving as translators.

• Serving as roving voting-equipment technicians. 

• Decide where poll workers are needed. Are the polling 

sites near the college or university? If not, are they accessible 

by public transportation? Will the students need private 

transportation? Students should be informed immediately if 

they may be asked to serve far from their homes or campus. 

Tip for Schools

How To Budget. Program costs 

will vary depending on the scope 

and design of the program and 

the school’s role in promoting and 

administering it. 

The number of staff hours needed 

to administer the program can 

be extensive. Although some 

schools find the tasks fit within a 

staff member’s existing workload, 

many need to hire part-time 

workers. Student workers or 

recent graduates can be excellent 

program coordinators and are 

generally less costly to employ. 

Marketing materials are another 

expense. Although some election 

jurisdictions can provide the 

recruitment materials, schools 

often spend money designing 

and producing fliers, posters, 

bulletin boards, Web sites, 

advertisements, and T-shirts.

Tip for Election Officials

Pre-Election Employment.

Some election officials may also 

be interested in using students 

before Election Day. The urgency 

and hustle preceding elections 

can create an exciting working 

environment for students. They 

might help process voter registration forms or provide general 

office assistance. The election 

office may have enough work in 

the months and weeks leading up 

to elections that some students 

might find a good part-time job 

working there.
20

• Assign students to polling sites close to their homes or 

campus to facilitate participation and reduce last-minute 

dropouts. Some schools organize car pools on Election Day, 

while others ask local election officials to place students at 

polling stations within walking distance of campus or near 

public transportation.

• Decide who will provide recruitment materials. Is the 

school or the jurisdiction in a better position to design eyecatching recruitment materials? Should they collaborate on 

materials? Whose budget will cover the costs if specialized 

recruitment materials are designed?

• Create a procedure for assigning students. Some 

jurisdictions prefer to simply follow their normal routine for 

dealing with poll workers, notifying each student individually 

after his or her application is processed, and he or she is 

assigned to a polling locale. Others prefer to use the school 

as a go-between to communicate with the students. 

Although both methods are fine, keeping the school in 

the loop about students’ assignments will enable schools 

to help monitor students to make sure they fulfill their 

commitment and for post-election debriefing.

• Set up a system for tracking students’ availability. Some 

election jurisdictions hope to use student poll workers 

for primary and general elections, but primary dates may 

coincide with students’ breaks or exams. 

• Decide on the student stipend. The financial incentive 

is important to many students and plays a major role in 

recruitment. Compensation should be determined at the 

outset. Will students also be paid for training? What about 

transportation or food costs?

• Create a procedure for processing applications. Election 

jurisdictions usually prefer to receive student applications 

on a rolling basis rather than to ask the school to collect 

and turn them all in at once. This gives the jurisdiction more 

time to process applications and begin to fill positions.

Tip

Working With Several 

Jurisdictions. Depending on 

where your school is located 

and the nature of your student 

body, it may be necessary to 

establish a relationship with 

several counties or electoral 

jurisdictions. If your State 

requires that poll workers 

volunteer within the jurisdiction 

in which they are registered 

to vote and your school draws 

from a large area of contiguous 

jurisdictions, you may want to 

develop a relationship with all 

the surrounding jurisdictions. 

Some schools have contacted 

as many as 14 jurisdictions to 

place their students. It is clearly 

easier to coordinate with only 

one jurisdiction, but if your 

student body commutes from 

multiple electoral jurisdictions, 

it is worthwhile to work with all 

of them.
21

Developing Policies and Procedures To Facilitate 

the Student Poll Worker Application Process 

Student poll worker applications should both facilitate the 

selection of students and provide information and outreach to 

them. The application materials should include an application 

form and a frequently asked questions (FAQs) sheet.

The Application Form. This form should be simple and clear, 

and it should request the same information that jurisdictions 

require of all poll workers. Election jurisdictions might want 

to request additional information of particular relevance to 

student workers, including the following:

• E-mail addresses and cell phone numbers. These are 

generally the best ways to reach students.

• GPA. You may want to set a minimum grade point average.

• College year and major. 

• Access to transportation. This will help you with 

placement decisions.

• Willingness to serve in hard-to-recruit areas.

• Fluency in a foreign language. In which languages and at 

what level of proficiency?

• Work-assignment preference, if applicable.

• Source of information about poll worker service.

• Reason for responding to request for poll workers. This 

may help identify students who are less likely to fulfill their 

commitment.

The Recruitment Process

In This Chapter

• Developing Policies and Procedures To Facilitate 

the Student Poll Worker Application Process

• Sample College Poll Worker Application

• Anticipating Student Concerns

• Recruitment Methods

• Sample Excused Absence Policy

• Recruitment Tools

• Sample Recruitment Posters

• Sample Press Release
22

The application form should include the deadline for submission and clear instructions on how and where to return the 

completed application. The application process should ideally 

be a one-step procedure. Designating a dropoff point on 

each campus is an excellent idea, because it saves students 

the extra step of faxing or mailing their applications. Ideally, 

students should be able to apply on line; however, many election jurisdictions do not yet have this technological capacity.

Election jurisdictions may wish to create a special application 

form for each school at which they recruit, with each school’s 

name clearly indicated at the top of the form, to facilitate 

tracking the number of students recruited at each school. 

The FAQs Sheet. Create a handout for all students that 

clearly explains the requirements and process for becoming 

a poll worker and provides answers to the most frequently 

asked questions. If possible, post this information on both the 

jurisdiction’s and the school’s Web sites. This will save the 

campus champion and the election-official liaison from having 

to answer the same questions repeatedly. Frequently asked 

questions include the following:

• What are the requirements to serve as a poll worker? 

• What will I be expected to do?

• What are the hours?

• How much will I be paid?

• Where will I be posted?

• How soon will I receive my post assignment?

• How long is the training and where and when is it?

• How do I get to my assigned post?

Regarding the important question of what they will be doing, 

the FAQs response can state that, as poll workers, students 

can expect to— 

• Set up the polling place.

• Greet voters.

• Check off names on the registry and check identification.

 

• Ensure that all registered voters get the chance to vote.

• Demonstrate how to use voting machines.
23
24

• Ensure the secrecy of each ballot.

• Answer voters’ questions.

• Solve problems as they arise.

• Act as translators (if needed and if they are able).

• Secure machines and votes at the end of the day.

• Count ballots. 

• Transmit the results.

With new electronic equipment being introduced in many 

jurisdictions, students can be told that they will play a very 

important role in explaining how to use the machines.

Anticipating Student Concerns

Efforts to anticipate students’ concerns about the obligations 

of poll work can reap large dividends in their participation.

Consider split shifts. One frequent student objection is 

that they are not able to work an entire 12-hour shift. Some 

students welcome the option to work a split shift because 

they would then be able to serve. Jurisdictions which permit 

split shifts may want to consider pitching this to students.

Anticipate fears about grades. Students will often miss 

several classes by serving as a poll worker. Schools need 

to assure them that they will not be penalized for this: seek 

faculty cooperation when you set up your program. Many 

students also have job obligations; this is also a problem for 

most working people when they are asked to commit for a 

full day, and it is why the majority of poll workers are retirees. 

Some jurisdictions provide students with a flyer or letter 

explaining to their professors or employers why they will be 

absent on Election Day. 

Follow up. Students can be impatient. If possible, email students when their applications are received and let them know 

how long it will take to process the applications. Tell students 

when they can expect to get their assignments and when 

training will be scheduled. This follow-up task could be the 

responsibility of either the campus champion or the election 

liaison, depending upon how your program is designed. 

Treating students professionally and with respect increases 

the likelihood that they will honor their commitment to serve 

on Election Day, and will do so in a professional manner.

Tips for Election Officials

Transportation. Keep in mind 

that only so many polling places 

are within a comfortable radius of 

a school and that you will want to 

mix college students with veteran 

poll workers. 

Some students may have to drive 

some distance to their assigned 

polling place on Election Day. 

Make sure students know this 

when you are recruiting. Also 

be aware that some students 

are apprehensive about serving 

in an area they do not know. Be 

prepared to help them with maps 

or to find the best available public 

transportation.
25

The Cuyahoga County, OH, Board of Elections sent a letter to 

all college poll worker applicants immediately after receiving 

their applications. Here is an excerpt from their letter:

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Election 

Day Worker for the Cuyahoga County Board of 

Elections. We have received your application and 

are in the process of assigning you to a polling 

location for Election Day.

Enclosed in this packet you will find information 

regarding the mandatory training session. The 

training is eight hours. Please follow the attached 

instructions and register for a training class today. 

Once we have placed you in a polling location, we 

will send you a Notice-to-Serve card. You must 

return the bottom portion of that card to confirm that 

you will work on Election Day.

If you have any questions regarding training or your 

responsibilities as a poll worker, please call 216....

Recruitment Methods

Recruiting students is similar to any other poll worker recruitment campaign, including the use of incentives, selection of 

a message, and use of proper outreach tools. But effectively 

reaching and motivating potential student poll workers involves 

additional challenges.

Create incentives. Motivating students to become poll workers 

begins with understanding the primary incentives for their participation. For college students, the three primary incentives 

are course credit, money, and fulfilling civic duty.

• Give course credit. Course credit, or offering Election Day 

work as an alternative to a class assignment, is an attractive 

incentive, especially when paired with the incentive of pay 

for the day’s work. Courses can be designed around Election 

Day poll work. 

• Money talks. Marketing poll work and training as a chance 

to make some quick cash is universally successful. Poll 

workers are paid for their Election Day service, and most 

election jurisdictions also provide compensation for the 

training sessions. Jurisdictions determine the stipend, usually 

in the $50 to $250 range. Promoting the stipend provided 

by the election authority should attract many cash-strapped 

students. Schools that are able to provide an additional 

stipend from the college find it even easier to motivate 

students to turn out at 5:30 a.m. on Election Day. 

“It’s fun to work with veteran poll 

workers who know so much about 

the community.”

—College poll worker, Cleveland 

State University
26

• Civic responsibility. Many students regard poll work as 

an opportunity to play an important role in the political 

process—to become involved and to feel, perhaps for the 

first time, like responsible adult citizens.

• Other incentives. Schools offer a variety of incentives, 

which, although they do not always attract students to 

work on Election Day, nonetheless raise the energy level 

and make poll work a more pleasurable experience. For 

example, a program at the University of Indiana-Purdue 

University gave student poll workers invitations to Election 

Night parties thrown by the political parties. The chance 

to celebrate in a relaxed, festive setting with political and 

community leaders proved extremely popular among the 

students and added a touch of glamor to a long, tiring day.

Other successful incentives include—

• An excused absence from classes.

• Mention of poll-work experience on scholarship 

applications and resumes.

• Free T-shirts or sweatshirts.

• Coupons for lunch on Election Day.

• Free transportation.

Finally, students always appreciate public recognition for a 

job well done. Some schools hold ceremonies or luncheons 

to thank students and publicly recognize their contribution, or 

they add mention of poll-work service to regularly scheduled 

events. For example, the graduation ceremony at Roxbury 

Community College featured speakers who praised pollworking students for “carrying the torch of leadership” among 

a new, young group of political activists, and the college 

presented course diplomas and award plaques to deserving 

students. Another idea is to invite a public official (e.g., mayor, 

council person, State representative) to a post-election 

celebration for poll workers. In Boston in 2006, student poll 

workers were invited to a reception with the mayor.

Develop a message. To a greater degree than the general 

population, college students lack a clear idea of what a poll 

worker does and do not realize they can serve. Recruiting 

materials and presentations should explain basic poll worker 

duties and the financial stipend, but they should also emphasize 

the important role poll workers play in the democratic process. 

Explaining the impact students can have in implementing 

citizens’ right to vote and the importance of counting ballots 

accurately can help persuade students that the role is an 

important one and motivate them to want to participate. When 

designing recruitment materials, consider including photos of 

Photo credit: Suffolk University

“Just put up fliers saying you get 

paid, and anyone without a job 

will jump at the opportunity.”

—College student in focus group, 

Cleveland State University
27

SAMPLE

Adapted from Cleveland State University Faculty Senate

Approved Excused Absences for College Student Poll Workers

Whereas:

• The [XYZ Election Jurisdiction] is undertaking a major effort to recruit new

persons into serving as poll workers for the November Elections, with over [#]

persons needed to qualify and serve as poll workers;

• The work of a poll worker has become more demanding than in past years due to

new technology at the polls, new laws governing voter ID, provisional ballots, and

disabled voter access, and the correct implementation requires analytic, highly

competent poll workers; and

• Students have expressed worry about whether they can serve as a poll worker

without academic penalties– thus greatly reducing the number of students who will

be willing to serve as poll workers;

It is proposed that the Faculty Senate enact the following as an amendment to the Missed

Class Policy:

Poll Worker Excused Absence Policy

1. [ABC College/University] faculty are required to excuse from class attendance and

from any assignments, quizzes and other work otherwise due during the period including

the day (November x) before the General Election from 6:00 pm through Election Day

(November xx), all students who serve in any of the official poll worker and polling

support positions (which can include, e.g., polling place translators, technical support for

e-voting machines) for the [XYZ Election Jurisdiction]. 

2. Any [ABC College/University] student who desires to exercise the excused

poll worker service option must:

(a) have officially applied and been selected to serve;

(b) be scheduled for or have completed training by xx weeks before Election Day;

(c) inform the faculty whose classes are affected in writing (electronically or in whatever

manner the particular faculty member requests) no later than by October xx;

(d) arrange to make up any course work or quizzes due to their absence; and

(e) provide official documentation to the faculty member at a later appropriate point of

having served as a poll worker or in a polling support position. At all times the

responsibility for making up coursework rests with the student.

*****************

excused absences policy - editedPage 1 7/30/07 11:30:02 AM
28

students and quotes from them about why they liked being 

a poll worker, an exciting moment while volunteering, or why 

their participation was important. Students can be effective 

persuaders of other students.

Similarly, recruitment materials should try to counterbalance 

some students’ negative perceptions of being a poll worker. 

Student comments have included— 

• “It’s boring.”

• “Spending the entire day with ‘old people’ is not appealing.”

• “I’ll be the only young person there.” 

• “I don’t want to just sit there all day.” 

• I want to do something important like working for a 

candidate.” 

A Word of Caution

Honor the importance of ALL poll workers. In designing your 

recruitment message for college students (particularly if you 

are sharing it with the media), be careful not to inadvertently 

insult your older, veteran poll workers, who remain the backbone of your team. Rather than emphasizing the need for young 

people, which might make the veterans feel rejected or unappreciated, emphasize the need for new poll workers to replace 

those lost to attrition and for new workers with special skills.

Recruitment Tools

Personal contact is best. Face-to-face recruitment and 

personal contact are the most effective and successful 

recruitment methods. Being asked to participate by a friend, 

student leader, or professor is persuasive. Consider the 

following effective strategies:

• Peer networks. Many schools use student workers to 

recruit fellow students as poll workers. A single motivated 

student leader or recruiter, using natural peer groups and 

existing networks, can reach an impressive number of 

students. For example, eight youth leaders for the Los 

Angeles Conservation Corps recruited 152 poll workers, 

120 of whom worked on Election Day.

• Professors as partners. College professors incorporate 

student poll work into class curricula in a variety of ways. 

Professors at several colleges have used poll work as a 

service-learning opportunity or have offered poll work in lieu 

of a class research paper. Other professors integrate poll 

work into their curricula and give students class credit or 

extra credit. 

“Working with people from my 

neighborhood gave me a sense 

of being, a sense of purpose.”

—College poll worker, Roxbury 

Community College
29

www.grcc.edu/collegepollworkers

Grand Rapids Community College and the City of Grand Rapids

College Pollworker Program The GRCC Job Placement Center will be working, in conjunction with The City of 

Grand Rapids, to recruit up to 200 college students to work as pollworkers for the 

November 7th state election. Students will be paid $125 

for the assignment and will be required to attend a paid training session prior to Election Day 

(after applying, you will be notifi ed of the available training sessions).

To learn more, visit:

The Job Placement Center, Room 103 Main • Phone: (616) 234-3738 • E-mail: callen@grcc.edu

Grand Rapids Community College is an equal opportunity institution. 9/06 143XXX
30

Even if poll work is not incorporated into the curriculum for 

extra credit, promoting the program in classes has proven 

to be a very effective recruitment tool in many schools. 

Presentations in classes on communication, business, 

psychology, philosophy, and government have proven 

highly successful in recruiting students.

• Student activities office. Getting the word out to students 

about a paid “volunteer” opportunity like poll work is a 

natural function for many student activities or student life 

offices. Staff in these offices often know many students by 

name and can personally recruit those who they think will 

be interested. 

For example, in the autumn of 2005, an election official 

asked the student activities office at Illinois Central College 

to recruit students for the March 2006 primary election. By 

offering a service credit and a stipend paid by the county, 

the office easily recruited 10 students as poll workers in a 

very short time.

• Student groups. Outreach to large student groups is an 

effective recruiting tool on campuses with strong student 

organizations. Informal meetings with student civic organizations give poll worker recruiters an opportunity to quickly 

reach a large group of students.

For example, the Golden Key chapter at the University 

of Tennessee collaborated with the Student Government 

Association, the Intra-Fraternity Council, the Pan-Hellenic 

Association, and Team Vols (a large volunteer organization) 

to recruit more than 140 student poll workers. 

Other recruitment tools. Schools use a variety of approaches 

that promote student awareness of poll worker opportunities, 

although none by itself is extremely effective as a recruitment 

tool. The key is to use several different approaches so that 

students receive the message repeatedly in different ways. 

Schools should begin their recruitment promotion during reg-

istration and welcome week activities. Tools and techniques 

include the following:

• Table tents, fliers, posters, banners, and campus bulletin 

boards. Students report that their main sources of information 

on campus are table tents, fliers, and posters in dining halls, 

student unions, and other high-traffic areas around campus. 

Some schools have campus bulletin boards or television 

monitors that students regularly check for upcoming events 

and activities.

• Information tables. Many recruitment programs set up 

information tables in high-traffic areas to hand out materials 

and application forms. Although some programs set up their 

tables only daily or once a week, others create campuswide 

Tips for Schools

If you feed them, they will come. 

The best way to attract students 

to an information table is to offer 

free food and fun. Northampton 

Community College found that 

its most successful recruitment 

strategy was a “Recruitment 

Day” that included tables set 

up in strategic spots around 

the campus. These tables 

featured food, a magician, and 

a caricaturist to attract attention 

to the poll worker materials. In 

a single day, 100 students were 

recruited.
31

excitement with one big “Recruitment Day” and recruit as 

many students as possible on that day. 

Many schools find that providing information tables during 

welcome week and other campus events yields large numbers of student applicants. One caveat is that this approach 

can generate a large number of applicants who do not follow 

through to Election Day. 

• E-mail and Web sites. Internet recruiting at large universities 

and at colleges with a well-established broadcast e-mail 

or listserv system is an efficient and effective way to reach 

students. Some election jurisdictions regularly ask local 

schools to send out campuswide electronic recruitment 

messages and do no other form of student recruitment. 

Cleveland State University, with a student body of 16,000, 

cited mass e-mailing as one of its most effective recruitment strategies. 

When a student body is accustomed to relying on the 

college Web site for information and downloading forms, 

it is a good idea to provide a Web site that serves as “Poll 

Worker Recruitment Central,” providing information on local 

requirements for poll work, application forms, and links to 

local election jurisdictions. Even greater efficiencies can 

be obtained if the schools’ election jurisdictions are able 

to accept electronic applications. This way, the school can 

monitor which students apply for poll worker service and 

then provide followup. These sites can save staff time and 

are convenient for students.

Caution: It is crucial to know how students receive information 

from the college administration. Electronic campaigns are not 

very effective at colleges where e-mail and listservs are not 

the primary means of reaching the student body.

• Media. Paid ads or public service announcements in 

campus publications or on student radio shows usually do 

not directly generate applications, but they are effective in 

heightening the level of awareness on campus.

Ads in noncampus media (newspapers, radio, and TV) also 

aid in student recruitment and serve a public relations function when students see their school’s program mentioned 

in the general media. They see that poll service has importance in the greater community and will pay more attention 

than if they simply receive a flyer on campus. In addition 

to serving as a recruitment tool, the local media can bring 

good publicity to the school and the election jurisdiction itself.

Photo credit: Suffolk University
32

• Methods of gaining attention from both local and campus 

media include—

• Writing a letter to the editor of the local newspaper.

• Inviting local media to your kickoff event.

• Sending a press release to local minority and foreignlanguage media.

• Sending press releases to public access bulletin boards, 

libraries, and other areas where students congregate.

The special challenge of recruiting for State and local 

elections. There is naturally more excitement on campuses 

about national elections, especially presidential elections, than 

for local and State elections, so it is easier to recruit student 

poll workers for a presidential race. The same recruitment and 

incentive efforts are required for off-year elections as for presidential elections, but schools and jurisdictions should realize 

that it will take more effort to attract student interest. 

Fortunately, jurisdictions often staff fewer poll workers for local 

elections because voter turnout tends to be lower, and some 

jurisdictions do not use college students for off-year elections, 

local elections, or primaries.

Tip

The Cool Factor. Recruitment 

will be most successful if 

it generates excitement on 

campus about volunteering on 

Election Day. The more students 

involved as multipliers, the 

better. For example, California 

State University, Long Beach, 

had T-shirts made that said, 

“Love Me, I’m a Poll Worker.” 

When students filled out a poll 

worker application, they were 

given T-shirts and were asked 

to wear them around campus. 

Cheerleaders and other campus 

groups wore them to school 

events. Promotional tools such 

as these raise campuswide 

awareness of the program 

and create a “cool factor” that 

encourages participation.
33

MEDIA RELEASE (Example) 

CONTACT: Name FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

 Phone Date 

COLLEGE POLLWORKERS NEEDED! 

Joint Recruitment Effort Between 

Grand Rapids Community College 

and Grand Rapids City Clerk 

Kick-Off Event 

Wednesday, September 13, 2006 

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 

Bostwick Commons 

Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) and the Grand Rapids City Clerk are recruiting 

college students for appointment as election workers for the upcoming General Election to be 

held on November 7, 2006. The recruitment officially kicks off during GRCC’s “Welcome 

Week” event on September 13th between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. located on the Bostwick 

Commons. Interested students can also go to www.grcc.edu/collegepollworkers or contact the 

Job Placement Center directly. 

The college pollworker program is an important collaboration, leading the nation in a growing 

interest to use college students as pollworkers. The City will collaborate with Grand Rapids 

Community College in the development of a plan for recruitment and training of college 

students for appointment as election workers. The partnership is designed to motivate 

students to be involved the electoral process.

GRCC students interested in applying for appointment as a pollworker must be registered 

voters in Kent County, complete an application form, and attend a mandatory training class. 

Students appointed will be paid $125 for election day pay and $7.50 per hour for the training 

class.

City Clerk Terri Hegarty said that “My hope is that the college students will vote and adopt a 

lifelong commitment to civic involvement if they are encouraged and integrated into the 

democratic system at an early age.” 

Chris Allen, Coordinator of Student Employment at GRCC, stated that “We are very excited to 

provide our students with this great opportunity to get involved in the voting process and to 

assist our community on this wonderful project.” 

# # # # # 
34
Recruiting Minority and Bilingual Students 35

Minority and bilingual students can be important to the 

success of poll worker programs in jurisdictions where the 

population is heterogeneous. Let these students know that 

their participation is highly valued.

Attracting bilingual poll workers is not just good community 

relations; it is Federal law. Section 203 of the Voting Rights 

Act requires certain jurisdictions to make language assistance 

available at polling locations for citizens with limited English 

proficiency. College students who have second-language 

skills can help jurisdictions meet this Federal requirement. 

The Federal Register lists these jurisdictions at http://www.

usdoj.gov/crt/voting/sec_203/203_notice.pdf. 

Outreach Techniques

The following outreach techniques have been used to recruit 

minority or bilingual students:

• Target organizations, groups, and classes that attract 

minorities. These organizations and departments may 

provide the key to creating a more diverse base of student 

poll workers. 

The University of North Texas held a pizza party at its 

multicultural center to attract bilingual students. The 

university’s poll worker recruitment program also sought 

out academic and civic groups, fraternities and sororities, 

religious and spiritual groups, and other organizations that 

attract bilingual students. The program also contacted 

faculty who teach classes with a large percentage of 

bilingual students.

• Work with a community-based organization. Sometimes 

neighborhood recruiting is a good strategy. Tap into professional and civic organizations such as local chapters of 

the National Association of Asian American Professionals, 

National Council of la Raza, or the National Association for 

the Advancement of Colored People. Enlisting bilingual and 

minority students to recruit within their communities can 

also be very effective.

For example, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps’ “Girls 

Today, Women Tomorrow” program hired eight students 

to be team leaders and to recruit other students. They 

In This Chapter 

• Outreach Techniques

• Tips for Schools: Public Recognition

Photo credit: Cleveland State University
36

recruited 152 college poll workers, 75 percent of whom 

were bilingual. Of those, 120 served at the polls.

• Offer a class on civil rights and political participation. 

Roxbury Community College in Boston, which has a predominantly African-American and Hispanic student body, 

included in its 2004 poll worker program a course on the 

democratic process, the history of civil rights in the United 

States, and how individuals can make a difference. Students 

were encouraged to participate in political and civic activities 

and to educate their friends. As a result, these students 

embraced the task of encouraging their generation and 

their neighbors to vote. They came to see their role as 

peer-educators as pivotal. Although money was initially 

the biggest incentive for these students to sign up, taking 

part in a class that discussed history, voting rights, and the 

importance of civic participation kept them engaged. (See 

Integrating Poll Work Into the Classroom for more details 

on this curriculum.)

Consider taking the following steps to get to the heart of the 

minority and bilingual student population:

• Recruit through student organizations that represent minority 

and/or bilingual students (minority student unions, fraternities/ 

sororities, religious and spiritual groups, multicultural or 

international centers). 

• Ask professors and students in African-American, ethnic, 

or international studies departments (Asian/Pacific, Latin 

American, or African studies) to serve as recruiters.

• Recruit in advanced language classes.

• Invite inspiring role models to speak about voting rights and 

political participation.

• Ask local media that serve minority and ethnic or foreignlanguage populations (radio stations, TV news shows, 

newspapers, Web sites, etc.) to promote the college poll 

worker program.

International students who are ineligible to serve as poll workers can fill other roles. Some programs employ international 

students in jobs that do not explicitly require U.S. citizenship, 

such as—

• Translators or interpreters.

• Runners.

• Voting center coordinators.

“If not for the class, we wouldn’t 

have been poll workers. We had 

a much better appreciation of 

voting. We heard from political 

speakers. It opened our eyes to 

legislative issues like the Voting 

Rights Act.”

—Student poll worker, Roxbury 

Community College
37

• Processors of voter registration applications.

• Telephone receptionists at election headquarters.

Election office liaisons should check their State’s eligibility 

requirements. In addition, some States require Election Day 

workers to have Social Security numbers, even if they do not 

require citizenship.

Tips for Schools: Public Recognition

Many students who have served as poll workers emphasize 

the importance of receiving public recognition for their service. 

This public acknowledgment may deepen their commitment 

to continuing community service. At Roxbury Community College, the program held a graduation ceremony and provided 

certificates of participation. Students expressed pride in their 

participation and believed they had an important civic role to 

play within their communities.

“Though the extra paperwork and 

separate training sessions for the 

students were time-consuming, 

nevertheless, we do strongly think 

that this program is worthwhile 

and hope to continue recruiting 

college students for future 

elections. In addition to having 

their much-needed help, we also 

hope that their involvement in 

the electoral process will lead 

to greater civic interest and 

participation in the future.”

—Helen Wong, Language 

Coordinator, Boston Election 

Department, MA
38
39

Integrating poll work into the classroom is a good way to 

reach a fresh pool of students every year and to show them 

the importance of poll work in the democratic process. There 

are many ways to integrate the poll worker experience into the 

classroom. Some popular methods are discussed below.

It is important that students be granted an excused absence 

from all their classes on Election Day and for training as well. 

Schools can accomplish this in several ways. A memorandum 

of understanding (MOU), signed at the beginning of the year 

between the school and the election authority, may make this 

a schoolwide policy; the faculty senate may pass an Election 

Day excused absence policy; or an individual professor may 

give students a letter to their other professors requesting 

excused absences on Election Day. 

Schools planning to integrate poll service into class work 

should allow time for internal faculty review and approval. 

Presenting the idea at faculty meetings in the spring semester 

preceding a general election will give faculty time to consider 

the options for integration into their courses. 

Announcements in Class

The basic technique for integrating poll work into a class is 

for the campus champion to make a brief presentation of 

the program, sometimes accompanied by an election office 

liaison. The campus champion often targets classes related 

to the political system, although other classes can, and have, 

been used. The campus champion explains the need for 

young and intelligent poll workers, what the job entails, and 

the requirements for service. It is critical to have application 

forms available for interested students to fill out on the spot. 

For some programs, this is the extent of the school’s role. The 

election office liaison collects the applications and contacts 

students directly, giving training and placement details, as the 

election jurisdiction would with any volunteer. The professor is 

Integrating Poll Work Into the Classroom

In This Chapter 

• Announcements in Class

• Sample Letter to Faculty

• Excused Absences

• Extra Credit

• Service Learning Requirement

• Create a New Class

• Suggestions for a Course Reading List

• Sample Curriculum
40

Sample Letter to Faculty 

Seeking Their Involvement in a College Pollworker Program 

Dear Professor ____: 

As you may be aware, our college/university has initiated a partnership with the local 

Elections Office. We are working together to recruit and train college students to work as 

Election Day workers. Our local Elections Office faces a shortage of qualified 

pollworkers every year and we feel confident our students could fill those positions while 

gaining important hands-on experience in the democratic process. 

The job of a pollworker is often underrated and misunderstood. They actually exercise 

critical powers in their service as the gate keepers for the entire election system on 

Election Day. They are the first-line protection for election legality and for voter 

franchise protection. They decide: 

whether a voter’s signature is sufficiently like the poll registry to permit the person 

to vote 

whether a person’s ID is deemed sufficient for casting a vote [only in those states 

with ID requirements]

what kind of ballot will be given to the voter (“regular” or “provisional”) 

whether to eject persons from the polling place for voter intimidation tactics 

how to help move lines along so that voters can vote efficiently 

how to set up and monitor the voting machines for privacy and security 

whether to help voters in other ways, such as by directing them to the proper 

precinct tables 

We would like your assistance in recruiting students to these positions. Research has 

shown that hearing about the opportunity to be a pollworker in a class and having a 

professor endorse the idea is one of the best ways to attract students. If you are 

amenable, we would like to schedule a 15 minute presentation to your Government 101

class the week of September 15-19. In that presentation we will describe the opportunity 

and its requirements and provide applications to interested students. 

In addition, if you are interested, we would like to discuss ways that you can integrate the 

pollworker experience into your class as an extra credit assignment, a service learning 

opportunity, or even as part of your curriculum. Across the country, professors are 

beginning to see the value of incorporating this real life experience into their class plans. 

Your participation would greatly strengthen our recruitment efforts. 

Thank you for your collaboration. 

Sincerely, 
41

asked only to give class time for the presentation. No followup 

by the school is required. 

This approach works particularly well at large universities with 

big introduction to government classes that provide a potential 

pool of hundreds of students who are interested in the political 

process. For example, in 2004 the campus champion at Indiana 

University-Purdue University sent an e-mail to 10 professors 

who teach large classes and asked them to announce the 

opportunity in class. Students were promised the normal 

poll worker pay, a day off from classes, and the opportunity 

to attend either of the political parties’ “after parties.” Many 

students expressed interest, and 75 were trained on campus 

as poll workers. 

Smaller schools and community colleges with fewer full-time 

students find that they have to provide more incentives and 

coordinate the program from beginning to end to recruit and 

retain a significant number of poll workers. 

Excused Absences

The program will fail if students are not granted an excused 

absence from all classes on Election Day. If one professor 

gives extra credit to those who serve as poll workers, but 

another professor schedules an exam for that day, some 

students will not be able to work at the polls. Schools should 

be encouraged to adopt a general policy of excused absence 

for poll service on Election Day. Ideally, schools should require 

or request that professors do not schedule exams or research 

paper deadlines on that day.

Extra Credit

Extra credit for poll work is a strong incentive for students. 

The decision to offer extra credit is made either by individual 

professors or an entire department. Some courses—political 

science, American government, civics, sociology, American 

history, or public policy—are obviously suitable for Election 

Day extra credit. A school will usually require that alternative 

extra-credit options be offered to those students who cannot 

volunteer to work the polls for whatever reason (work schedule 

conflicts, ineligibility due to residency requirements). Be aware, 

however, that some university regulations do not allow students 

to be paid for work for which they are receiving class credit. 

At California State University, Long Beach, for example, all 

professors teaching one of the introduction to American 

government classes in the fall semester offer 5 to 10 extra 

points for being a poll worker. This provides a pool of almost 

2,000 students with a strong incentive to serve as poll 

workers. The campus champion visits the classes with an 

election office liaison, and they spend 15 minutes explaining 

Tips for Schools

Alternative extra-credit ideas for 

those who cannot serve as poll 

workers on Election Day—

• Volunteer for a local political 

campaign.

• Volunteer with an advocacy 

campaign or civic action organization involved with election 

reform or monitoring issues.

• Create your own blog on 

political issues.

• Facilitate other students’ applications for absentee ballots.

• Work for a Get Out The Vote 

effort.

• Work on a voter registration 

drive.

• Volunteer for your local election 

board office before Election Day.

• Write a paper on some aspect 

of the electoral process.

• Write an essay on the importance 

of voting.
42

the opportunity and answering questions. They also hand 

out brochures and application forms, which are collected at 

the end of class. In 2002, the first year of their program, 280 

students applied and more than 230 students worked the 

polls in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. This number has 

increased each year since then.

Some professors offer the option of poll worker service in lieu 

of another class assignment. A professor at Suffolk University 

in Boston invited honor students in a political science class to 

serve as poll workers instead of writing one paper. Eight of the 

ten students chose to serve.

Schools should be aware, however, that offering extra credit 

creates another layer of administrative duties for the school. 

Individual professors or the campus champion will have to 

monitor student interest, facilitate training, and site placement, 

and create a system to confirm students’ service to qualify 

for the extra credit. 

The Importance of Tracking. Election officials need to be 

able to tell professors quickly which students served at the 

polls so extra credit can be factored into their grades. This 

also enables the election jurisdiction to gauge the number of 

students they need to recruit each year. 

Service Learning Requirement

Service learning is a community-service requirement formally 

connected to the academic curriculum. Increasingly, service 

learning is required for graduation, and faculties are gaining 

experience in integrating service opportunities into their curricula. Introducing poll work as a service-learning opportunity is 

relatively easy if faculty are given enough time to incorporate it 

into curricula. 

A valuable resource for implementing service-learning curriculum components is Campus Compact, a national nonprofit 

organization dedicated to promoting community service, 

civic engagement, and service learning in higher education 

(www.compact.org). Its Web site provides sample curricula 

that incorporate service learning, which could be modified 

to promote student poll worker initiatives. Professor David 

Redlawsk, a political science professor at the University of 

Iowa, teaches a local politics class with a service-learning 

component. Many students have volunteered to work on 

political campaigns as part of his class, and Prof. Redlawsk 

expanded the program in 2005 to offer poll work as a servicelearning option. Below is an excerpt from Redlawsk’s course 

curriculum in which he explains the required service-learning 

component.
43

Completion of a service learning/civic engagement 

project focused on local politics in Johnson County 

is required. This is an election year for the city 

council of Iowa City and for other cities in our 

county. In addition, there is a campaign surrounding 

whether Iowa City should establish a municipal 

electric utility. Other groups are also active in the 

local political scene. During the semester, you will 

work with one of the city council campaigns, as 

a poll worker for Johnson County or with some 

other entity directly involved in local politics. 

This involvement will mean actively participating, 

maintaining a journal of your experiences, and 

sharing your reflections on appropriate days as 

listed in the syllabus. 

The idea is that you will provide something of value 

to the campaign or organization and at the same 

time you will have ‘real-world’ experiences that 

should connect to our in-class activities and local 

government simulation. This project is expected 

to take a minimum of 40 hours over the semester 

including your organization/campaign work, your 

journaling activities, and in-class reflections.

By participate, I mean you will do useful work for 

the organization—something of value—and you will 

reflect on that experience in an ongoing journal, 

considering how what you experience in ‘real’ local 

politics does or does not fit with what we learn from 

our texts, discussions, and visitors.

Create a New Class

Some schools have created entire classes around their poll 

worker programs. In general, they include the required election 

training, additional training by the school, and seminars on 

political participation, and the democratic process. Some are 

semester-long courses, while others are 4-week seminars. 

Schools have offered from one to three credits for the class. 

The main difficulty is finding a professor who is interested in 

developing and teaching a new class. 

Here are some examples of poll worker courses. • In 2004, Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, Connect

-

icut, structured a two-credit course around working at the 

polls. The course included material on the history of elections 

in America, the role of State and local governments, and the 

variety of election regulations across the country, as well as 

poll worker training sessions. 
44

• Roxbury Community College offered a one-credit class in 

2004 taught by an outside consultant who runs a program 

called “Dunk the Vote Leadership Institute” to engage youth 

in the political system. He adapted his institute’s leadership 

training to include serving at the polls on Election Day. This 

program proved extremely effective in enlisting minority 

students.

Professors can adapt curricula from schools that currently 

incorporate poll worker programs in courses. Another 

vaulable resource for academic administrators is a handbook, 

“Educating for Democracy: Preparing Undergraduates for 

Political Engagement,” published by the Carnegie Foundation 

for the Advancement of Teaching. This handbook contains 

the curricula of 21 courses and programs designed to foster 

informed political activity and to promote an understanding 

of electoral politics at the local, State, and national levels. 

A list of relevant curricula is also available on the Carnegie 

Foundation Web site at http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/

programs/index.asp?key=25.

Suggestions for a Course Reading List

The Lanahan Readings in State and Local Government. John 

R. Baker (ed.). Baltimore: Lanahan Publishers, 2001. 

City Politics: Private Power and Public Policy, 4th Ed. Dennis 

R. Judd and Todd Swanstrom. Longman Publishers, 2003.

High Tech Grass Roots: The Professionalization of Local 

Elections. J. Cherie Strachan. Lanham, MD: Rowman & 

Littlefield, 2003.

Education for Democracy. Benjamin R. Barber and Richard 

M. Battistoni (eds.). Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 

1993.

An Owners Manual for Public Life. Harry C. Boyle and Kathryn 

Stoff Hogg. Minnesota: Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public 

Affairs, 1992.

Democracy in America. Alexis de Tocqueville. New York: 

Penguin Group, 1956. 

The Public and its Problems. John Dewey. Swallow Press, 

1927.

National Service, Citizenship, and Political Education. Eric 

Gorham. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.

“The class gave me the 

knowledge to affect change 

and to teach others in my 

neighborhood.”

 —Student poll worker, Roxbury 

Community College
45

“Give Us the Ballot: We Will Transform the South.” Martin 

Luther King, Jr. In James M. Washington (ed.), A Testament of 

Hope. San Francisco: Harper, 1986. 

“The Youth Service Movement: America’s Trump Card in 

Revitalizing Democracy.” Matthew Moseley. National Civic 

Review, Summer/Fall, 1995.

A Reading List Drawn From Three Courses

Local Politics. Professor David Redlawsk, University of Iowa.

Citizen Education. Professor James Farr, University of 

Minnesota.

Becoming a Public Citizen: Connecting Community Service 

and Public Leadership. Professors Ruth Mandel and Tobi

Walker, Rutgers University.
46

Student Political Participation 

Roxbury Community College (Boston, MA) 

Instructor: Ron Bell, Dunk the Vote Leadership Institute 

Course Description: 

This one-credit course was designed to encourage and develop student voter participation 

and political activism. Students attended four seminars on the political process and were 

required to attend a pollworker training workshop and serve as pollworkers on Election 

Day. They were also encouraged to recruit other students to attend film viewings and 

events with young role model speakers who are actively involved in local politics and 

voter activism. They had several writing and speaking assignments. 

In addition to the knowledge gained of government and the political process, students 

acquired skills in writing, public speaking, and social interaction. The course afforded an 

opportunity to discuss issues relevant to students’ lives and to develop civic activist skills 

by working as a pollworker and recruiting other students. 

Seminars: 

1. Voting and Democracy: Analysis of the Presidential Election of 2004 

Panel discussion focusing on the attention given to 1) voter registration; 2) 

appealing to candidate constituencies; 3) the political processes and the 

inauguration of new voting technology; 4) how these factors affected the 

outcome. Potential panelists included local politicians and government officials. 

2. Voting and the Constitution: Your Elected Officials 

Panel discussions with local officials on: 

• Connecting with a local constituency in the age of media and Internet 

• The decision making process in your office – who takes responsibility? 

• Crisis and special event handling – is there a defined plan? 

3. What Does Our Vote Accomplish: The Power of the Vote 

Focus on “How People Vote,” including what motivates voter to go to the polls 

and what they connect with in a candidate. Episodes of the Showtime mini-series, 

“The American Candidate,” will be shown and analyzed. 

4. Current Issues and Voting: Connecting with the Issues 

Viewing and analysis of “American Candidate” but focus on how voters base 

their choice on “character” versus “the issues.” Discussion seeks to define how 

voters determine a candidate’s position on the issues and how they filter those 

perceptions through their own personal values and activism. 

Sample Curriculum
47

The Problem of Attrition 

Filling out an application is just the beginning. After students 

are recruited, keeping them interested and committed through 

training and turning out at daybreak on Election Day requires 

sustained and frequent personal contact.

Attrition is a serious drawback to employing students as poll 

workers. College-based programs have an average Election 

Day participation of one-third to one-half of those who initially 

express interest. This is partly due to the difficulty some jurisdictions have in training and placing students. Time commitment, given the competing demands of school and job, is also 

a major factor in student dropout. 

The following two examples illustrate the historically low pollservice rates of college students: 

• A Los Angeles County election official reported that in 2004, 

only half of the 2,000 students who filled out applications 

served on Election Day. Some of these were never given 

assignments, but many were no-shows.

• Grand Rapids Community College, working with the Grand 

Rapids City Clerk’s Office, received 263 student applications 

in 2006. Of these, only 89 students attended training and 82 

worked on Election Day—a retention rate of 31 percent.

The sharpest attrition occurs between filling out applications 

and the training sessions. When students have demonstrated 

their commitment by attending training (and being inspired and 

excited about their Election Day responsibilities), they usually 

serve on Election Day. Make training sessions as accessible 

as possible for students and remind them to attend.

In Cuyahoga County, election officials use an automated 

calling system to remind everyone who submits a poll worker 

application to sign up for a training session.

Student Commitment

In This Chapter 

• The Problem of Attrition

• Effective Strategies

• Sample Forms To Track Student Participation

Tips for Schools and 

Election Officials 

The Importance of Frequent 

Reminders. School programs that 

closely track which students sign 

up to work and receive placements 

appear to have the best retention 

rates. Calling, e-mailing, and/or 

text-messaging students with 

reminders is an effective way to 

avoid no-shows. Consider communicating with each student—

• When his or her application is 

received.

• To provide training times and 

dates.

• To remind him or her to attend 

training.

• To confirm assignments the 

week before Election Day.

• To motivate the day before 

Election Day.

• To thank him or her after the 

election.
48

Effective Strategies

If students know that their participation will be verified and 

that they will not receive the promised incentives (especially 

the work stipend or class credit) if they do not show up, they 

will perform more reliably.

• Substitute poll worker service for class assignments.

A Maryland professor assigns a 1-page paper to students 

who serve as poll workers. If they fail to serve on Election 

Day, that 1-page paper becomes a 10-page assignment.

• Use peer pressure to improve retention rates. In some 

programs, each student is paired with a “buddy” who is 

responsible for making sure the other attends training and 

works on Election Day. The “buddies” use text messaging 

or instant messaging to keep in touch.

If poll work is required as part of a class or for extra credit, 

schools must verify that a student served. Most election jurisdictions provide a “proof of service” form that the polling-site 

manager or monitor signs on Election Day. In addition, in the 

weeks after the election, many jurisdictions send a list to the 

college of all students who worked on Election Day. Schools 

should be able to provide a list of those students who claim 

they worked and have an election official confirm it. Some 

schools even require every student to call the school when 

they arrive at the polls; however, the more students involved 

in the program, the less feasible is this kind of verification.

On the following pages are two sample worksheets that may 

help track student participation. The first is an attachment 

for each student’s application that records how they were 

recruited, if they were placed in an assignment (or why not), 

if they attended training, and if they served on Election Day. 

The second worksheet synthesizes this information for the 

program as a whole.

Tips for Election Officials

With a Little Help From Their 

Friends. Many students want to 

work with friends. Their reasons 

are varied: they prefer the social 

aspect of working with a friend, 

they do not want to spend 12 hours 

with strangers, or they are too 

intimidated to go alone. They 

believe signing up in pairs is an 

attractive option. Being asked to 

work by a friend can also be a 

big incentive. Some jurisdictions 

have found that if friends were 

not placed together at the same 

precinct, both dropped out. Many 

election jurisdictions, however, 

do not want to place students 

with friends because they fear the 

students will not pay attention to 

the job. They also want to have 

experienced workers overseeing 

new workers. Seeking a balance 

is probably the best approach.
49

Sample Attachment for Student Applications 

 Placed 

 Attended training 

 Served 

How did the student hear about the pollworker opportunity? _______________________ 

________________________________________________________________________

If placed: 

 Where? _____________________________________________ 

If not placed: 

 Did not attend training 

 Ineligible – registered in other jurisdiction 

 Ineligible – citizenship 

 Ineligible – not registered 

 Ineligible – not affiliated with political party 

 Applied late 

 Unable to contact 

 Not placed for another reason 

If did not serve: 

 Did not attend training 

 No show 

 Cancelled 

Reason cancelled or no show: 

 Transportation issue 

 Conflicting class schedule 

 Conflicting work schedule 

 Don’t know/no reason given 
50

Name of College/University: Please fill in the highlighted boxes with the number of students in that category. Please list the different roles or jobs the students played,

and the number of each:

Precinct workerOther roles:

# Number served

# Number placed

# Not attend training # Transportation issues

# Number not served # No Shows # Conflicting class schedule

# Cancelled # Conflicting work schedule

# Applications received

# Don't know/no reason given

# Did not attend training# Ineligible because registered in other jurisdiction# Ineligible because of citizenship

# Number not placed

# Ineligible because not registered# Ineligible because not affiliated with political party# Applied late# Unable to contact# Felony conviction# Not placed for other reason

Sample Worksheet for Tracking Participation
51

In most jurisdictions, students will be required to take the 

training provided by the local election jurisdiction. Depending 

on the size of the jurisdiction, election officials will offer several 

different times, and locations for poll worker training. If these 

are convenient for students, they can simply sign up through 

the jurisdiction for the time and location they prefer.

If possible, jurisdictions should consider the students’ scheduling 

needs. Students who live on campus may prefer a weekend 

training session, while those who commute may prefer training 

during the week when they are on campus for classes.

Many schools, however, find that the location and timing of 

training is not convenient for their students. Sometimes training 

locations are accessible only by car, or training sessions are 

held during class hours. Schools may wish to request special 

training on campus. Many election officials are happy to do 

this, especially if there are many students to train. Holding 

training on campus facilitates retention of recruits. 

This solution is not always possible. If a school provides students 

for several jurisdictions, it may be impractical to organize special training sessions on campus for each. It is also difficult to 

combine training. Although the training may be similar across 

jurisdictions, each jurisdiction may have slightly different procedures and equipment. For these reasons, most jurisdictions 

require poll workers to attend jurisdiction-specific training. 

Training Content

Training quality and content vary greatly among election 

jurisdictions. Although schools cannot dictate the training 

materials or trainers used by a jurisdiction, they can make 

suggestions about how students learn best and how trainers 

can improve students’ understanding and retention of the 

materials they teach. 

Students prefer training experiences in which they take part 

in hands-on demonstrations, including role-playing, and in 

discussions about situations they may face on Election Day. 

Role-playing various potential situations is the best way to 

teach procedures and to quell any fears students may have 

about their ability to perform well. 

Training Student Poll Workers

In This Chapter 

• Training Content

• Augmenting Poll Worker Training

• Training for Intergenerational Communication 

Photo credit: Peoria County-HAVCPTraining, Illinois Central College
52

Realism helps, too. Trainers should bring the actual equipment 

poll workers will use on Election Day. The opportunity to 

practice on real voting machines is important. Students also 

generally prefer smaller training sessions. They complain that 

it is difficult to absorb all the information presented in a large 

group and that they feel uncomfortable or unwelcome if they 

ask questions. 

Augmenting Poll Worker Training

Although schools usually do not direct the primary training of 

students as poll workers, they can provide independent, supplemental training or education. Such instruction can improve 

students’ performance, enrich their experience, and help them 

understand how poll work contributes to the American democratic process. Election Day itself can be a long, rather tedious 

day for poll workers. Providing students with a greater understanding of how their work fits into the larger whole promotes 

pride and a commitment to future electoral participation. 

Training can include a number of activities and subjects, such 

as the following:

• Review the United States electoral system.

• Introduce relevant electoral laws, such as the Help America 

Vote Act.

• Discuss citizenship and civic duty.

• Analyze the development of the right to vote.

• Describe current issues in voting.

• Outline the political process.

• Discuss the special role of local government.

Many college poll workers may also be first-time voters. Election jurisdictions suggest providing an Introduction to Voting 

class that reviews the voting process and all election-related 

terminology before sending these students to a regular poll 

worker training session. 

Schools may also provide additional, specialized, task-related 

training to improve their students’ performance on Election 

Day. This training can include sessions on topics such as 

multigenerational communication, multicultural sensitivity, and 

customer service. Examples of supplemental training programs 

include the following:

Tip

Scheduling. Students who 

live on campus may prefer a 

weekend training session, while 

those who commute may prefer 

training during the week, while 

they are already on campus for 

classes.
53

Florida Memorial College. In addition to requiring countymandated training held on campus, this college required 

students to attend training activities offered by the school. 

This additional training included a documentary on the 2000 

General Election in Florida, as well as training on constitutional 

rights, customer service, and multicultural sensitivity. Prominent 

political figures spoke to the students to motivate and encourage 

them. 

Eastern Michigan University. This school required students 

to attend a special evening training session in which two 

professors led discussions on the political process and 

intergenerational communication. Food was provided to keep 

the energy level high.

Training for Intergenerational Communication

College students who work an election, either as a poll 

worker or as an office worker, will probably find that most of 

the people they work with are 20 to 60 years older than they 

are. If you are creating a college poll worker program, it is 

a good idea to include at least a small training segment on 

intergenerational communication. 

Such training should include the following points: 

• Dress appropriately. Casual business attire is considered 

appropriate. Your clothes should cover your midriff and 

tattoos.

• Remember your manners. Say “please” and “thank you.” 

Be courteous to everyone.

• Do not swear.

• Do not use personal portable listening devices.

• Keep conversations polite and nonpolitical.

• Offer to do the lifting and moving of equipment and any 

type of legwork tasks.

• When someone is having difficulty with technology or 

equipment, ask if you can help. While you are assisting 

them, remember that older people did not grow up with 

computers and may not have the technical vocabulary that 

you do.

• Many elderly people experience hearing loss. Speak clearly 

and audibly.

• Have patience.

Photo credit: Cleveland State University
54

• Some elderly people use voting as a social outing, and you 

are part of this occasion. Seeing young people who are 

polite, helpful, and understanding makes their experience a 

positive one.

• Remember that you are working for the election officials 

and must follow any rules and guidelines they give you.

It is equally important to train older poll workers to work 

with younger colleagues. Students often complain that older 

poll workers do not treat them with respect and as equals. 

In training both younger and older poll workers, emphasize 

their common goals for Election Day. Keeping their attention 

focused on what they share, rather than on their differences, 

helps produce cooperation, and mutual respect.
Evaluating Your Program 55

Election officials and schools should evaluate 

their programs post-election to see how they can 

improve the process. As part of the evaluation, 

election jurisdictions should record the number 

of student applications they receive each year, 

how students heard about the program (this data 

can easily be requested on the application form), 

and how many students actually serve. Knowing 

which recruitment methods are most effective in 

your area is crucial to successful program planning.

Student surveys or focus groups examining the 

quality of training and poll work experience are 

also helpful tools for improving your program. 

Without this feedback, it is hard to know if the 

program is fulfilling its goals and if it is worth 

continuing.

Schools can also play a role in evaluating the 

program. Some schools have used surveys and 

focus groups to measure the effect of volunteering on students’ civic know-how, political 

involvement, and views of the political process.

Below is a sample student survey.

Thank you for serving as a pollworker in the recent election. In order to improve our efforts at 

recruiting college students to work as pollworkers, we need your feedback. 

Please take a few moments to fill out this survey. There are only 12 questions. All information will be 

kept confidential, with only aggregate results reported. Please fill in your responses below and bring it 

to XXXX Office in CAMPUS LOCATION. 

Please respond by Date XX, XXXX. [Consider offering an incentive] Thank you! 

1. How did you hear of the opportunity to become a pollworker? Check all that apply: 

 Word of mouth/other students  Ad or article in campus publication 

 Professor  Announcement on college website 

 College staff person  Announcement on campus radio 

 Information table  College-wide e-mail 

 Posters/flyers  Targeted e-mail (What affiliation or 

 Other (Describe: __________________) organization? __________________) 

2. What motivated you to become a pollworker? Check all that apply: 

 A friend was doing it  Extra credit 

 A professor or advisor suggested I do it  Learning experience 

 A student group I’m a part of was participating  Pay 

 Course credit  Sense of civic duty 

 Class assignment  Service learning credit 

 Other. Explain: _____________________________________________________________ 

3. Please tell us about the training you received to become a pollworker. Mark how strongly you 

agree or disagree with the following statements: 

Strongly 

Agree 



Agree 



Neutral 



Disagree 



Strongly 

Disagree 



Don’t 

Know



The training location was convenient ................................. ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

The training duration was appropriate ................................ ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

The training adequately covered all the necessary topics.... ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

The trainers knew the subject matter................................... ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

I was given an opportunity to ask questions ....................... ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

The hands-on part of the training was sufficient................. ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

I felt prepared for the work.................................................. ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

I was able to perform well at my assignment...................... ...1..............2...............3.......... ..........4......... .........5.......... ....DK 

4. Is there any area in which you feel like you needed more training? 

 Yes – If yes, please describe: __________________________________________________ 

 No 

5. What suggestions would you give your election jurisdiction to improve your time as a pollworker? 
56

Page 2 of 2 

6. What suggestions would you give your school to improve the recruitment of more college 

pollworkers? 

7. Please indicate how likely you are to do the following: 

Definitely 



Likely 



Unsure 



Unlikely 



Definitely 

Not 



Recommend working as a pollworker to other students............1......... ........2.......

.

........3.......

.

..........4......... ..........5.........

Work as a pollworker in future elections ..................................1......... ........2.......

.

........3.......

.

..........4......... ..........5.........

Vote in the next election.................................................. ..........1......... ........2.......

.

........3.......

.

..........4......... ..........5.........

8. Did you vote in this election? 

 Yes 

 No 

9. Did your experience as a pollworker affect your likelihood to vote in the future? Are you: 

 More likely to vote 

 Same 

 Less likely to vote 

10. Overall, how would you rate your experience as a pollworker? 

 Very satisfied 

 Satisfied 

 Neutral 

 Unsatisfied 

 Very unsatisfied 

11. College students play many roles on Election Day, such as precinct worker, roving technician, 

translator, assistant at headquarters, etc. What was your job on Election Day? 

12. Please share any stories you may have, either highlights, challenges or lessons you learned from 

this experience: 

Thank you! We appreciate your feedback. If you have any questions about this survey, or if you 

would like to provide additional input, please contact: NAME, PHONE, EMAIL, LOCATION 
Program Sustainability 57

In This Chapter 

• Designing a Sustainable Program

• Steps To Building a Sustainable Program

• Top 10 Keys to Success for Election Officials

• Top 10 Keys to Success for Schools

Designing a Sustainable Program

Election officials depend on a reliable pool of poll workers 

whom they can call upon to serve several times a year, for 

many years. These veterans are the core of most poll worker 

programs. College students are not likely to become part of 

this core group. Students’ class and work schedules change 

from semester to semester, their addresses may change from 

year to year, interest ebbs and flows with the type of election, 

and, after they graduate, students often leave the city or 

State. When asked in focus groups if they would be willing to 

commit to more than one election, students unanimously said 

no, generally citing their uncertain schedules. 

Some students, of course, will embrace the experience and 

consider it their civic duty throughout their lives. Some may 

become core poll workers many years later. For most students, 

however, the best that election officials can hope for is opening 

these students’ eyes to the opportunity and possibly persuading 

them to serve as poll workers from time to time. 

Remember that students and younger adults may move more 

frequently than older adults. Students recommend reaching 

them via e-mail and their cell phones, two important data points 

that are not always collected on application forms. Election 

officials looking for more practical guidance on successful 

retention practices should refer to the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission’s guidebook on Successful Practices for Poll 

Worker Recruitment, Training and Retention.

A jurisdiction seeking to increase its regular pool of experienced 

poll workers should consider focusing on community colleges 

and those State schools where students tend to be local 

residents, because these students will be more likely to stay 

in the community after graduation. 

Steps To Building a Sustainable Program

The key to a successful college poll worker program is to 

establish a sustainable process with a partner school so the 

election jurisdiction can count on recruiting a certain number 

of students for every election (or at least every November 

“Recruiting college students 

is no more difficult than other 

recruitment strategies, but more 

worthwhile. Since the 18-to-21-

year-old age group often reflects 

the lowest voter turnout, any 

effort to involve students in the 

electoral process is worthwhile.”

—Terri Hegarty, City Clerk, 

City of Grand Rapids, MI
58

election). The faces may change, but the energy and skills 

students bring will be a constant.

Because the student body changes every year, education and 

outreach must be repeated every year. Every new freshman 

class should be introduced to the idea of working at the polls 

and provided with the opportunity to do so. Students who 

hear this message repeated throughout their college career 

are also more likely to become involved.

This creates a large burden for school employees who must 

organize and run the program. Without care, this repetitive 

effort could lead to burnout. The best way to sustain a program and avoid burnout is to ensure that it is as streamlined 

and integrated with a school’s normal functioning as possible. 

The poll worker program should become part of the school’s 

culture and should be supported with adequate and reliable 

funding, and resources.

• Create institutional memory. An election-official liaison 

should document the contact at each school, how 

many students are recruited from each school, and by 

what recruitment methods. A campus champion should 

document how recruitment takes place and who performs 

what roles to develop a program that will survive beyond 

one person’s tenure as campus champion.

• Sign an MOU. Signing a memorandum of understanding 

(MOU) between the election jurisdiction and the school 

in the first year will ease administration of a student poll 

worker program in future years. The MOU spells out what 

roles the school and the election jurisdiction will play and 

also guarantees that the school’s leadership (the president, 

the faculty senate, etc.) is aware of the program; supports 

its goals; and provides the institutional infrastructure, 

resources, and understanding necessary to enable the 

program to function smoothly.

For example, the MOU might state that the school recognizes the duty of working the polls on Election Day as an 

automatic excused absence from all classes. 

• Create an Adopt-a-Poll program. Some counties have 

created an Adopt-a-Poll program under which organizations 

agree to provide all the workers for a specific polling 

location or precinct. If this is allowed in your State, consider 

developing an agreement for a local college or university 

to provide all poll workers for certain precincts for every 

election. This will simplify the process of assigning students 

and providing followup. The challenge will be to recruit and 

train enough students each year. Student organizations 

such as fraternities, sororities, and sport teams might 

consider adopting a poll as a fundraiser for the group.
59

• Incorporate poll work into course curricula. Including 

poll work in course curricula and as a service-learning 

opportunity guarantees a steady stream of students each 

year.

• Use professors at the polls. Encouraging faculty to serve 

as poll workers is a good way to attract their students as 

well. The American Association of University Professors ran 

a pilot program in Maryland in 2006 to encourage faculty to 

become poll workers. 

• Pay the program administrators a stipend. Election 

jurisdictions could pay a normal poll worker stipend to the 

campus champion who manages the program, as well as 

to faculty or staff who help to recruit students. This is only 

a token amount, but it can help encourage and sustain their 

participation.

• Use student spokespersons. Each year, ask students who 

served as poll workers the previous year to speak to classes 

and small groups about their experience. This builds on the 

idea that students who volunteer to work on elections are 

civic leaders and leaders in their schools. Hearing about 

the opportunity from another student might motivate other 

students.

Top 10 Keys to Success for Election Officials

1. Start as early as possible. For a November election, 

begin mentioning the opportunity to students during their 

spring semester (end of April to May). Begin collecting and 

reviewing applications by the end of September or early 

October. 

2. Review your State’s requirements for poll workers and 

decide how to include those students who do not meet 

residency or registration requirements.

3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Complete 

a memorandum of understanding with the school and set 

up weekly meetings with them. Select one person at your 

office to serve as the liaison.

4. At an early date, clarify the roles students will play in 

the election as a whole. Be specific about the legal requirements, the application process, the training schedule, and 

all important dates and deadlines.

5. Do not underestimate the amount of time it takes to 

run this initiative.
60

6.	 After receiving an application, follow up immediately

(phone, e-mail, or letter) with information on the process 

and timeline. Do not let the students think you forgot 

about them.

7.	 Provide multiple options for training times and

locations, on or off campus.

8.	 Keep training classes small and provide a hands-on 

experience with voting equipment.

9.	 Be very diligent about keeping records. Make sure 

you have complete contact information for all students 

and keep detailed notes on all your correspondence—

placement requests, hours available on Election Day, 

language skills, last minute dropouts, etc.

10.	Encourage students to return for future elections by 

thanking them for participating (send thank-you letters, 

give certificates of appreciation, or throw a party) and 

paying them promptly.

Top 10 Keys to Success for Schools

1.	 Begin planning 6 to 9 months before an election. Give 

faculty time to incorporate the poll worker experience into 

the curriculum.

2.	 Galvanize broad and high-level support from the

school administration and faculty. Include representatives from various fields/departments who can help with 

the program, such as career services, the political science 

department, the communications department, the college 

of law, student life, and public relations. 

3.	 Implement an excused absence policy for all college 

poll workers.

4.	 Stay in close contact with your representative from the

election jurisdiction. Arrange weekly meetings.

5.	 Include voter registration information with poll worker

recruitment materials. Poll workers are usually required 

to be registered voters and students may need to register 

to qualify.

6.	 Face-to-face contact is the most effective way to recruit

students. For example, making classroom presentations 

is often the most successful recruitment method.
61

“It was a wonderful networking 

opportunity and a chance to take 

pride in our country.” 

—College poll worker, Cleveland 

State University

7. A mass e-mailing is the fastest and cheapest way to 

communicate with many students and can be an important 

outreach tool. It cannot, however, provide oversight to 

maintain student commitment.

8. Do not assume all students who filled out applications 

will serve on Election Day. Continue to remind and 

motivate them to attend training and show up on Election 

Day.

9. Take photographs of students at training sessions, 

at recruitment events, and on Election Day. Use these 

pictures in campus newspapers, on Web sites, and with 

the local media to garner recognition for the students and 

to use in recruitment efforts in future years.

10. Show students appreciation and give recognition 

to encourage future participation. Consider a pizza 

party for the student poll workers, give out certificates of 

appreciation, or publicly thank the students by listing their 

names on a Web site.
62
63

The Guidebook

This guidebook is a collection of practices that have been 

successful in recruiting, training, and retaining college 

students to serve as poll workers. It is designed to present 

these practices in an easy-to-follow format so readers can 

develop their own programs to fit their specific needs. 

More than 20 administrators of college poll worker programs 

of various sizes and characteristics were interviewed to 

assess successful practices, constraints, and challenges 

faced by college poll worker recruiters. A project working 

group, consisting of three election officials, three university 

representatives, and one student, provided further guidance 

on matters related to this guidebook’s content and overall 

structure.

Additional data came from the following:

• Focus groups. Focus groups were conducted around the 

United States with students who participated in college 

poll worker programs and with students who did not. The 

focus groups provided invaluable information regarding 

incentives that motivate students to participate in polls and 

considerations that impede their participation or interest.

• National survey of election officials. Data from the 

National Association of Counties showed that few counties 

currently seek out college students as poll workers. Even 

among counties that employ students, recruitment efforts 

appear to be rudimentary, mainly limited to putting an 

advertisement in the college paper or sending out fliers.

• Pilot projects. From June through November 2006, three 

pilot projects planned and implemented college poll 

worker programs using the draft of this guidebook as their 

template. The pilot sites were—

• Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Rapids City 

Clerk’s Office (Michigan).

• Suffolk University and the City of Boston’s Election 

Department (Massachusetts).

• Cleveland State University and the Cuyahoga County 

Board of Elections (Ohio).

Background and Methodology
64

These represent election jurisdictions of different sizes and 

different types of schools—a community college, a private 

university, and a State university. The project participants 

provided monthly feedback on the guidebook’s content, 

layout, relevance, and helpfulness and on valuable and 

practical examples and anecdotes. 
EAC Commissioners 

Chair Donetta L. Davidson 

Vice-Chair Rosemary E. Rodriguez 

Commissioner Caroline Hunter 

Commissioner Gracia M. Hillman 

EAC Staff 

Thomas Wilkey, Executive Director 

Juliet Hodgkins, General Counsel 

U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

1225 New York Avenue, NW 

Suite 1100 

Washington, DC 20005 

866–747–1471 (toll free) 

HAVAinfo@eac.gov 

www.eac.gov