Harrisburg, PA – In honor of National Poll Worker Recruitment Day tomorrow, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt today encouraged eligible Pennsylvanians to sign up to serve as poll workers for the Nov. 5 election.
“As someone who has worked in elections for many years, I can tell you that serving as a poll worker is one of the most rewarding acts of civic engagement you can perform,” Schmidt said. “Elections are the most fundamental part of our representative democracy, and they couldn’t happen here in Pennsylvania if it wasn’t for the work of the roughly 45,000 poll workers who staff more than 9,000 voting locations across the Commonwealth each Election Day.”
The Shapiro Administration is committed to ensuring free, fair, safe, and secure elections in Pennsylvania. That commitment includes protecting Pennsylvanians’ right to vote, improving the efficiency and transparency of our elections, and ensuring every eligible ballot can be counted. Poll workers play a vital role in helping achieve all those priorities.
To recognize Thursday’s National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, a day of action designed to highlight poll worker recruitment efforts nationwide, Schmidt attended a poll workers’ training seminar this afternoon at Esperanza in Philadelphia.
Schmidt met with poll worker trainees to inquire about their experiences and thank them for their service. Afterwards, he encouraged anyone eligible to register to vote to do so and to consider being a poll worker as well.
“Poll workers are the lifeline of our elections and our democracy,” said Omar Sabir, chairman of the Philadelphia City Commissioners. “Each election they ensure that our polls are open and operational, and that we continue to have simple, safe, and secure elections. If you would like to become a poll worker, contact your local election office.”
“I’m proud to join Secretary Schmidt to support National Poll Worker Recruitment Day,” said Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein. “Elections are made possible by our dedicated friends and neighbors who sign up to serve as poll workers throughout the city. My fellow commissioners and I in Philadelphia, and across the nation, are always seeking civic-minded individuals who want to serve their communities, especially this Nov. 5.”
Schmidt noted that many counties specifically need bilingual poll workers, especially those who speak Spanish or Mandarin.
“The Shapiro Administration is committed to removing barriers that might prevent eligible voters from being able to cast their ballot,” Schmidt said. “While certain counties – Philadelphia, Lehigh and Berks – are federally required to provide voting materials in certain other languages, other counties, like Lebanon and York, are proactively providing interpretation services for registered voters who need language assistance.”
Pennsylvania’s poll workers must be registered voters, which means they must meet voter registration eligibility criteria. Pennsylvania also allows 17-year-old high school juniors and seniors to serve as poll workers if they obtain permission from their school principal and their parent or guardian. Poll workers are paid for their time at trainings and for their Election Day work.
Registered voters interested in becoming a poll worker should fill out the Department of State’s Poll Worker Interest Form. Seventeen-year-old high school juniors and seniors who are interested should fill out the Department’s Student Poll Worker Interest Form.
For more information about becoming a poll worker in Pennsylvania, follow #ReadytoVotePA and the Department’s accounts on social media:
- Instagram/X: @PaStateDept
- Facebook: @PADepartmentofState
- LinkedIn: @pa-department-of-state