U.S. Short at Least 500,000 Poll Workers
 

Read the whole story here.

"A shortage of at least 500,000 poll workers nationwide means many voters could face long lines, cranky volunteers, polling places that don't open or close on schedule and the chance that results won't be known until long after the polls are closed....

"...The shortage is acute in urban areas where workers should be able to speak multiple languages. Soaries is most worried about New York City, Washington, St. Louis, Chicago and Los Angeles.


"Election officials also are struggling to motivate volunteers: For every three poll workers trained, only two show up on election day.


"And in Los Angeles County, Registrar Connie McCormack estimates that one-third of the county's past volunteers don't return for a second election. In March 2002, 125 precincts opened late because no workers were available. The county, the nation's largest, tapped business owners, county workers, leaders of ethnic groups and even high schoolers to find the 25,000 poll workers it will need Tuesday...."

(more worth reading)


Now, here's a fun fact (at least, in PA) that they leave out of this article: If the polls open, and there's not enough people to fill the board, the people who are first in line to vote can be drafted into serving on the board! So... unless you plan to spend 7am>9pm or later at the polls, you do NOT want to vote in the first batch!!

I heard on WSB radio on Tuesday evening that Atlanta/Fulton county had hired HOMELESS people to be pollworkers.

I feel so much better now. :eek:

Last time i voted i put down i would like to be a poll worker and they never called me

If they would make election day an official holiday everywhere, this would be less of a problem. I would love to be a poll worker, but can't take the day off work.

Dee

More wisdom from my (red)neck of the woods:

Elections supervisor Ann Ward Bodenstein in Florida's Santa Rosa County said she would never recruit in a high school. She relies on the region's ample stock of military retirees.

"If you have a child trying to tell someone who fought in the Vietnam War what to do, that doesn't go over very well," Bodenstein said. "Really, they have no business being there if they're not registered voters."

1. Who says that the high schoolers aren't registered voters? I registered the day I turned 18--and I was still in high school. What about kids who turn 18 earlier in the year? I knew plenty of kids who voted in primaries because they had early birthdays.

2. What if the veteran doesn't have a clue about what he's doing? Especially in the case of these computerized touch screens and registration records on computer. I personally would rather have a young person who knew what they were doing than a middle-aged person who didn't.

3. If the veteran doesn't know what they're doing, and it "doesn't go over too well" when the younger person tries to show them what's up...there's a problem.

This is why I ran like hell, people. :rolleyes:

[Sorry you don't like West Florida. We natives call it "L.A" - that's lower Alabama!]

Yeah, after 18 years living there, I got all the nicknames down. :)