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Like many of the people who volunteered to serve their communities through Vet the Vote - even some of our team members got waitlisted or never called to serve! In jurisdictions around the country, there are different numbers of poll workers needed and different timelines for training and assignment. This means that some people who volunteered to serve, did not get called in. That is a GOOD sign, if that’s what happened to you, because it means your county or voting jurisdiction had enough volunteers to staff the elections this year. There are other factors that could have led to you not being called in for training. One is that in some states, precincts need representatives from both major political parties and they might have had enough from yours. There also may be a greater need for bilingual poll workers that are being prioritized.
BUT, it's important that you signed up! If there are special elections or recounts, more poll workers may need to be trained and employed and you are making your local election officials job that much easier by being on that ready reserve list. Many poll workers are retirees and
elderly who will continue to step away from volunteering as time goes on. Additionally, as we all know, elections happen more than every four years! When speaking with some election administrators, we heard that off-year elections (elections that are not congressional or presidential) are harder to staff, and are a great way to get started volunteering as an election worker. You
So, whether you did an Election Day poll working shift, or simply thanked your neighbors who were there when you cast your vote, you can be proud to be one of those who raised your hand and volunteered to serve your country.
And if you did get called, and haven’t already filled out this survey - please do!! It’ll take less than two minutes.
In Service,
Ellen Gustafson, CEO - We the Veterans and Military Families & Leader of the Vet the Vote Coalition