A Comprehensive Guide to Poll Working

So you want to be a poll worker! Well I’m happy to say that you’ve come to the right place. This past Tuesday was election day and I spent almost 15 hours at the precinct helping people vote. I woke up at 5:00am, got to the precinct at 5:30am and didn’t leave until 8:00pm! There were some moments that were a bit dead, but overall it still didn’t feel as long as some 4 hour retail shifts I’ve worked in the past.

I wanted to write this post so more people are aware of 1) what being a poll worker entails 2) how to sign up to do so, and 3) what you should bring day of if you wish to be a poll worker! I’m going to answer all of these questions (and more!) in this post, so be sure to stay tuned.

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My Poll Working Experience

I wanted to start this post by sharing my poll working experience! This honestly ended up being a last minute decision for me. I had thought about it previously, but then realized I didn’t think I could ever work a 15 hour day. That said, it obviously didn’t end up being that terrible because I lived to tell the tale and ended up having an amazing day!

Two weeks ago I got an email saying there was an urgent need for poll workers in my county! I took this as a sign that I needed to do my part and help out at the polls. Everyone who wants to work has to take a poll worker training class! Because of COVID, we had ours online using Zoom. They say it’ll be two hours long, but at the most it was an hour long and the rest was left for questions!

There are also a few different poll worker jobs, but the one I was given was that of a poll clerk! Usually poll clerks just help keep the line straight, direct traffic, and hand out stickers at the end. That said, I ended up also helping voters submit ballots! My main poll worker duties included: receiving/counting green voting cards, helping voters submit ballots, handing out stickers, and directing voters to the exit!

What to Bring for Poll Working

One of my followers actually suggested this post idea to me because of this section here! She was working at a precinct and wanted to know what she should bring to work election day. At that point, I had no idea! I tried to be over prepared, so I’m going to list what I brought/the things that will help you have success while working the polls.

FOOD – You will hypothetically have three meals at the precinct (I ate bread in the car at 5:15am on my way to work lol). I brought a mini cooler of food, but we got lucky and had a small kitchen at our precinct because it was at a church!
Extra Clothes – I brought a skirt because I’d been told you can’t wear jeans (but my friend heard something differently). I also brought a backup shirt because I didn’t know if a voting tee would be a problem! A rule of thumb is that voting clothing is fine as long as it’s not specific to a candidate on that ballot.
A Book – I also suggest maybe bringing a book in case your precinct is slow! Ours had points in time where we had no voters for 30 min to an hour. We obviously just all chatted, but having a book would’ve been nice!
Caffeine – I definitely had coffee twice and a cherry-vanilla Coke during the day. You will have spells of exhaustion where you’ll need a kick of energy! Someone also brought candy and I had way too much.
Extra Shoes – I brought extra shoes in case my feet starting hurting during the day. Lucky my sneakers were fine and I was able to sit for a good amount of time too!