Earlier today, I filled out an application (printed from a local website) to help with the election, and it will go out in today’s mail. We’ll see what happens!
People on other boards are saying that if they aren’t needed right now, they will be put on a waiting list in case someone gets sick, dies, has a family emergency, etc.
Desert Dog
How were you contacted? I am in some weird loop where I respond and they just keep sending me the same email about openings. Maricopa Cty also.
An email. It was a canned response, though, and since it’s presented as a full-time gig (M-F, 8-5) I emailed back saying I needed to have Monday and Thursday mornings off for an online class and have not gotten a response back yet.
I’ll send a PM with the address; it’s the same name on both emails I’ve received, the other being in August, so he seems to be the guy in charge of recruiting poll workers.
I will be an Associate Judge in a tiny, rural election precinct in my county. I’ve been involved in elections in this county for many years. I was Democratic Party County Chairman for a few years. I was even involved in interviewing and hiring the current county elections administrator.
The Democratic Party will use you if you can work a PC and a phone. Google (your state) Democratic Party and call them. They’ll put you in touch with a local team.
Got a call today, it’s official, I’m going to be a poll worker here in Phoenix!
I am sure this is no place for levity so please forgive me if I suggest that in a few states at least, some of the proud boys might volunteer. Of course I don’t expect them to be selected.
(No disrespect intended, it just struck me as funny.
Thanks to all of you who do volunteer your time and work to keep truth, justice, and democracy in our lives.)
Heh, I guess I shouldn’t be expecting training to be perfectly consistent on a nation-wide scale.
Looked into being an STO (short term observer) for the ODIHR (Office For Democratic Institutions and Human Rights), but should have realised, to begin with, that the nearest battleground state was just too dang far away for me to be arsed enough to trundle across the border out to Minneapolis or Phoenix.
Since I wasn’t selected for election duty, I’m thinking about volunteering my services to the Democratic Party folks across the state line in Pennsylvania. There may be rules against non-residents assisting in any way, though. PA even requires poll watchers to be from the same county in which they reside (a big problem for the hard core righties in the Philly suburbs). But I wonder if I can go up there and drive people with transportation difficulties to the polls?
Joe Biden will win my home state of Maryland by 20 points or more, with or without me. We need every goddamned vote in PA.
I’ve tried to help people without transportation (here in PA) the last few elections, and never got any takers. Maybe you could put flyers in apartment buildings in low-income areas? Maybe just say the first run is at 7:00 a.m., back and forth for as long as you feel like committing. I’ve also wondered how to teach people how to vote by mail - our system can be a little confusing, with its double envelopes.
Update: Since the emails I’ve received nothing and had no phone calls. Since the mail-in ballots were sent out on Monday and the voting locations (seven so far in this county) have opened, I’m puzzled and thinking they need to be better organized.
Desert Dog,
Sorry, I don’t come here all that often since retirement; the Dope was more of a guilty fuck off at work pleasure. But yes, they do seem somewhat disorganized, but these are unprecedented times. They are hiring more poll workers than ever they told me, because larger voting locations to do the social distancing. And I think the extension of the voter registration deadline at the last minute may have thrown them.
Anyway, they sent me an email, and I responded, so I am not sure what to tell you. If you’d like, I can PM you the name, addy and # of my recruiter?? Let me know.
I got an email saying that the response for poll workers was overwhelming and that they wouldn’t be needing my services. As an aside, I just mailed in my ballot this morning.
They pretty much told me the same thing, and for that matter, I just filled out my own ballot and will drop it in the mail either tomorrow or Monday. 
I also suspect that a lot of the response is out of economic need, because they’re paying about $13 an hour here and a lot of people really need that money. Early voting is starting at the libraries on Monday, and they have 2 workers at a time; the actual elections will have at least 4 workers per precinct.
I never did hear back. A friend of mine who had also signed up called them, and was told they were waiting to see if the usual volunteers were going to participate this year. But since they had her on the phone, they put her on the schedule right then. I decided not to bother them; I signed up on the assumption the retirees who usually do this wouldn’t want to risk it this year. But it seems they have plenty of people, so I can use my vacation time some other way.
I’ll add to the chorus of Elections Offices not needing more workers. I stopped by the office in my county to drop off my ballot and took the opportunity to check if they needed more workers. I’d worked for them in the past so I know what involved (a lot of boring opening of envelopes) and the hours they work (9-5 roughly for two or three days before the election, overnight on Election Day). The lady there said there’s a waiting list of people who want to work. They don’t need me.
I expect the COVID recession is the main cause. They pay minimum wage, which is $13.25 here. That’ll come out to only a few hundred, but if you’re hurting, anything is better than nothing.
Updating my own post: The library I volunteer at is averaging 200 voters a day. That’s really terrific, because in addition to all those people doing their civic duty, they have to walk through the self-service bookstore I help manage, and they’re buying lots of stuff.
I’m glad to hear there are plenty of election workers. I have sometimes volunteered with the domestic party as a poll watcher, but this year I’m feeling too old to want to risk it.
Update #2: Still nothing. I sent an email October 9th asking what’s up and so far only crickets. I am disenchanted and if they contact me now I will tell them to pound sand.
I will say that every time I get an e-mail or text from my locals, they ask if I’ve heard from anyone (I’ve responded several times that I have), apolgize for how unorganized they are, and explain that this year they’re busier than ever.