A Guidebook for Recruiting

College Poll Workers 

JUNE 2023 | 3RD EDITION
2 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Table of Contents

THE SPECIAL QUALITIES OF STUDENT POLL WORKERS 5

CREATING A SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP 11

THE CAMPUS CHAMPION AND THE TEAM 13

TIMING 17

DEVELOPING THE PROGRAM 19

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS 23

RECRUITING MINORITY AND BILINGUAL STUDENTS 31

INTEGRATING POLL WORK INTO THE CLASSROOM 34

STUDENT COMMITMENT 38

TRAINING STUDENT POLL WORKERS 40

PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY 44

APPENDICES 48

BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY 4
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 3

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 

their owners. These documents are intended to be 

representative of relevant election administration 

practices 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.
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Background and Methodology

The Guidebook

The EAC is excited to be releasing the third edition of this guidebook, in conjunction with the Help 

America Vote College Poll Worker Grant Program. 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.

The first and second editions of the guidebook are based on conversations held with 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 these prior 

version’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. In a prior iteration of the College Poll Worker Grant program, three pilot projects 

planned and implemented college poll worker programs using an early draft of the original 

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).

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 draft guidebook’s content, layout, relevance, and helpfulness and on valuable and 

practical examples and anecdotes.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 5

The Special Qualities of Student Poll Workers

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 

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 

or incentivizing 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 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.

IN THIS CHAPTER

What To Expect From the Guidebook

Student Poll Worker Strengths

Student Poll Worker Challenges
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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.

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:

• The Guam Election Commission (GEC) partnered with the University of Guam (UOG) 

Public Administration Degree Program to offer an academic credit bearing class on Elections 

Administration in an effort to recruit poll workers for the 2022 General Election. The two-credit 

course included twelve (12) hours of lecture at the University, an exam, and a practicum: working as 

a Precinct Official or Election Assistant on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, at island polling sites. The 

course was also offered for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and as a professional development 

course for teachers. Twenty-six students enrolled. 

• Martin County, Florida developed a Work the Polls campaign to recruit high school and college 

students for poll worker positions. Interns created a video to be posted on the website while staff 

reached out through meetings and presentations on campuses throughout Martin County. 

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 21st century 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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 7

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.

“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
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Legal Guidelines for College Poll Worker Programs

A fundamental question for schools and election officials wanting to establish student poll worker 

programs is whether their state’s laws will limit their ability to do so. The states’ legal criteria for 

the selection of poll workers can limit 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 oblige 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 at least some 

poll workers roles be filled by voters in the precinct or county where they serve.

• Approximately 28 states have statutory preferences for poll workers to be residents of the 

precincts in which they work.

• At least five states—California, the District of Columbia Massachusetts, Michigan, and 

Minnesota—allow state residents to serve as poll workers anywhere in the state.

• Six other states and territories allow residents to serve as poll workers anywhere in the state 

if insufficient numbers of county residents are available: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, 

Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Residency and Registration

Political Party Affiliation

Term Requirements
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 9

• Several states – Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, and North 

Dakota – have created a special exception for college students to serve. For an example of how 

these programs work, Delaware poll workers must normally 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 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. Such 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. These restrictions may create an 

ethical dilemma for college poll workers, by asking them to work polls in a location that will not 

permit them to vote.

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 

waivers allowing them to use nonresidents. Others create special roles for students that do not 

require residency. For example, during the 2006 election, 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 register to vote in 

their hometowns, while only 28 percent register at their school address, and 2% register at some 

other 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.

“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
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Political Party Affiliation

Many states require that at least some poll workers be affiliated with a political party. As of 

2020, all but nine states or territories (American Samoa, California, the District of Columbia, 

Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, South Carolina, and Washington) 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 or recruit qualified 

students to serve as poll workers.

Term Requirements

Of all the states, 24 have poll worker term requirements ranging from 1 to 4 years for at least 

some roles, 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 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 during which the poll worker is certified, rather 

than requiring that the poll worker 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.

Several states have terms of service only for poll workers in positions of highest authority, 

while allowing the appointment of poll workers with lesser responsibilities 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-by-election 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. 
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 11

Creating A School Partnership

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 to 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.

Larger schools, however, are more likely to have a well- established 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.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Factors To Consider When Establishing a School Partnership

Aim for the Top: Enlisting Local College or University Participation
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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 a leader 

of a college or university, or someone in their community relations office 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 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
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 13

The Campus Champion and the Team 

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 

part-time staff people to run its program; each person works 15 to 20 hours per week for 3 months. 

“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

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 
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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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 15

Ask for recommendations for a champion from the following sources, if they exist at your local campus: 

• The college or university president. 

• Faculty officials, such as department heads (including the head of the political science department), 

deans or other administrative leaders. 

• The department of student services or student life. 

• The office of service learning. 

• The office of career services. 

• The employment office. 

• Coaches of athletic teams. 

• The student government association. 

• Leaders of the campus voter registration campaign. 

• Leaders of fraternity or sorority life. 

• Alumni boosters or others involved deeply in campus life. 

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, but maintaining a relationship with your champion may allow you to easily find someone 

who can fill the role in subsequent years.

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. 
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• Campus news outlets (newspaper, radio, television, web services, podcasts). 

• 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. 

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 within 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
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 17

Timing

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— takes 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 general- election 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 Website) 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.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Start Early

Timelines Help
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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.

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 in 2006 is included in the appendix. 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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 19

Developing the Program

Student poll worker programs vary significantly. Similar steps, however, can facilitate the 

development of any school- jurisdiction 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 an 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, including public records requests.

Tip for Election Officials

Student Intern. If your poll worker recruitment staff is already overextended, consider hiring a parttime 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.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Establish a Clear Relationship and Easy Communication as Early as Possible

Issues To Discuss
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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 attending 

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 state’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 phone calls 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 significant. 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 
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 21

to employ. It may also be possible to partner with a college or university to arrange for an internship 

for the student for academic credit, which may also be of little or no cost to the local jurisdiction.

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.

The United States Election Assistance Commission has a College Poll Worker Grant program which 

may provide funding for some of these costs.

Tip for Election Officials

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.

• Assign students to polling sites close to their homes or campus to facilitate participation and 

reduce last-minute dropouts. Some schools organize carpools 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 eye- catching 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 postelection 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.
22 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Tip for Schools

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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 23

The Recruitment Process

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 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 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. Utilizing a web portal to allow students to apply is ideal; but if such a portal is not available, 

having an on-campus drop box will serve as a means of minimizing obstacles for the students.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Developing Policies and Procedures To Facilitate 

the Student Poll Worker Application Process

Anticipating Student Concerns

Recruitment Methods

Recruitment Tools
24 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

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.

• 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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 25

Due to the average age of poll workers and the importance of technology in elections, 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 poll workers. 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 many 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.
26 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

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 $150 to $300 range. Promoting the stipend provided by the election authority should 

attract many cash-strapped students. Schools that can 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.

• 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.

• Competition. Schools can also consider friendly competition; for example, rewarding the class 

year (freshman, senior) who have the highest percentage of poll workers or competing against 

other local institutions.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 27

• 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 poll- working 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 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.

“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
28 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

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. 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.

“Working with people from my neighborhood gave me a sense of being, a sense of purpose.”

—College poll worker, Roxbury Community College
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 29

• 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 

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 registration and welcome week activities. Tools and techniques 

include the following:

• Social media. Don’t underestimate how much information students gather from social media. 

Colleges and Universities, departments, and programs all often have their own social media that 

can be a great way to get word out about the opportunity to serve as a poll worker to students. 

• 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 campus wide 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 many applicants who do not follow through to 

Election Day.

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. 
30 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

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.

• Email. Sending mass emails is an efficient and effective way to reach students. Some election 

jurisdictions regularly ask local schools to send out campuswide recruitment messages. Cleveland 

State University, with a student body of 16,000, cited mass emails as one of its most effective 

recruitment strategies.

• 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 non-campus 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.

• 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 foreign- language 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.

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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 31

Recruiting Minority and Bilingual Students

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 secondlanguage skills can help jurisdictions meet this Federal requirement. The Federal Register lists these 

jurisdictions at https://www.justice.gov/crt/page/file/1460416/download.

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.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Outreach Techniques

Tips for Schools: Public Recognition
32 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

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 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 foreign- language 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.

• Processors of voter registration applications.

• Telephone receptionists at election headquarters.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 33

“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

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. Schools might also 

recognize poll workers in external facing media, such as on their school website or in articles in their 

alumni magazine.

“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
34 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Integrating Poll Work Into the Classroom

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 asked only to give class time for the 

presentation. No follow-up by the school is required.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Announcements in Class

Excused Absences

Extra Credit

Service Learning Requirement

Create a New Class
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 35

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 or the following 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 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 at the polls in Los Angeles and 

Orange Counties.

Tips for Schools

Alternative extra-credit ideas for those who cannot serve as poll workers on Election Day—

• Volunteer for a local political campaign.
36 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

• 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.

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 servicelearning 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 (https://compactnationforum.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 Delaware, has taught 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 service- learning option. Below is an excerpt 

from Redlawsk’s course curriculum while he was at the University of Iowa in which he explained the 

required service-learning component.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 37

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, Connecticut, 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.

• 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 valuable 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, published in 2007, 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.
38 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Student Commitment

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 poll- service rates of college students:

• A recruitment program run from 2014-2015 in Chicago collected 3,535 applications and had 

1,578 students ultimately serve, with over 500 serving in two or more elections.

• 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.

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.

IN THIS CHAPTER

The Problem of Attrition

Effective Strategies
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 39

• 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.

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 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.
40 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Training Student Poll Workers

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.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Training Content

Augmenting Poll Worker Training

Training for Intergenerational Communication
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 41

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:

Florida Memorial College. In addition to requiring county- mandated 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.
42 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Tip for Election Officials

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.

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.

• Remember your manners. Say “please” and “thank you.” Be courteous to everyone.

• Do not swear.

• Do not use personal portable listening devices or wear earbuds.

• 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.

• 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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 43

Evaluating Your Program

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.
44 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

Program Sustainability

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. Regardless of outcome, election 

officials can be proud they played a role in 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 website on 

Poll Worker Recruitment at https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/poll-worker-resources.

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.

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

“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
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 45

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

students bring will be 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 follow-up. 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.

• 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.
46 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

• 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 from your office to serve as 

the liaison.

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

6. After receiving an application, follow up immediately (phone, e-mail, text, 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.
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 47

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 

regular 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.

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.

“It was a wonderful networking opportunity and a chance to take pride in our country.”

—College poll worker, Cleveland State University
Appendices

48 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Sample Student Poll Worker Calendar

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.

A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 49
Sample Application

23

50 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Sample Excused Absence Policy

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.

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

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

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

A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 51
Sample Media Release 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.” 

# # # # # 

52 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Sample Faculty Letter

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, 

A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 53
Sample Course Syllabus

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 Currculum

54 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Sample Participation Tracking Worksheets 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 worker

Other 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

A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 55
Sample Student Survey

Electon officals and schools should evaluate 

ther programs post-electon to see how they can 

mprove the process. As part of the evaluaton, 

electon jursdctons should record the number 

of student applcatons they receve each year, 

how students heard about the program (ths data 

can easly be requested on the applcaton form), 

and how many students actually serve. Knowng 

whch recrutment methods are most effectve n 

your area s crucal to successful program plannng.

Student surveys or focus groups examnng the 

qualty of tranng and poll work experence are 

also helpful tools for mprovng your program. 

Wthout ths feedback, t s hard to know f the 

program s fulfillng ts goals and f t s worth 

contnung.

Schools can also play a role n evaluatng the 

program. Some schools have used surveys and 

focus groups to measure the effect of volunteerng on students’ cvc know-how, poltcal 

nvolvement, and vews of the poltcal process.

Below s a sample student survey.

Page 1 of 2 

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 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
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 

Sample Student Survey (Continued)

A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 57
58 U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

EAC Commissioners

CHAIR

Christy McCormick

VICE-CHAIR 

Benjamin W. Hovland

COMMISSIONER

Donald L. Palmer

COMMISSIONER 

Thomas Hicks
A GUIDEBOOK FOR RECRUITING COLLEGE POLL WORKERS 59

EAC Staff

Steven Frid, Executive Director

Amanda Joiner, Acting General Counsel

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

866–747–1471 (toll free)

www.eac.gov

For questions about the HAVA College Grant Program, email Grants@eac.gov 

For questions about Poll Worker Recruitment and Program Administration, email 

Clearinghouse@eac.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission
U.S. Election Assistance Commission 

WWW.EAC.GOV