HARRISBURG — Inside Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland on Election Day, every voter is likely to hear the same phrase: You are the only person today who will have touched your ballot.
Blithe Runsdorf, who has served as the judge of elections at the second-largest precinct in Allegheny County for the past 30 years, said she has gotten the poll workers she oversees to say this in recent years, in an effort to emphasize the security and privacy of Pennsylvania’s elections. That has become more important now that U.S. elections are under more scrutiny than ever.
“Your vote is the most important, private and personal thing you have,” said Ms. Runsdorf, 77, of Oakland. “What else do we do [as citizens] that carries as much weight as this?”
Tuesday is the third annual “Help America Vote Day,” a nationwide initiative to recruit poll workers. The Pennsylvania Department of State is also promoting the recruitment day, hoping to enlist more people to take jobs staffing the state’s more than 9,000 voting precincts.
“Poll workers are really the unsung heroes of free and fair elections,” said David Voye, the manager of Allegheny County’s election division, in a news release.
The county relies on approximately 6,600 poll workers to help staff its 1,323 voting precincts, Mr. Voye said.
Those who step up can expect to work the full day, which usually begins around 7 a.m. and ends after the polls close at 8 p.m. Workers earn between $150 and $175 for the more than 12-hour day.
“We recognize that it’s not an easy job, and is a long day, but are so fortunate to have so many voters who want to give back and do so by volunteering as poll workers,” Mr. Voye said.
The government agency responsible for providing states with resources to administer their elections — the U.S. Election Assistance Commission — started the Help America Vote Day in 2020 to address a national shortage of poll workers.
Most workers are over the age of 61, according to the agency. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people in that age group were at the highest risk for death or serious illness from the virus — leaving counties with even fewer poll workers to administer some of the highest turnout elections in U.S. history.
For a long time, the workers at Ms. Runsdorf’s precinct would cheer and “make a big deal” when it was someone's first time voting, she said. The team of about six people will still do this, although in-person turnout is significantly lower with many University of Pittsburgh students who live in the precinct choosing to vote by mail.
Ms. Runsdorf has always seen her role as one tasked with helping anyone who is registered to vote in her precinct cast their ballot, and to help anyone who is not registered there get to the right precinct. Oftentimes, judges of elections in other precincts will send a voter to her when they’re having a hard time finding out where the voter should cast a ballot.
Any person of voting age must be registered to vote in the county where they want to serve as a poll worker. Some high school students who are 17 years old may also be eligible, if they meet additional requirements. Government employees or officials are not allowed to serve as poll workers.
Ms. Runsdorf said the excitement — and importance — of Election Day keeps her coming back each year.
She emphasized that judges of elections take a sworn oath to only admit voters who are properly registered to vote there, make sure all votes at the end of the day are tabulated accurately, and to prevent any fraud or abuse at the polling location.
Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman emphasized that poll workers are people who live in the communities in which they’re elected to serve. Each precinct has three officials elected to oversee the election: the judge of elections, a majority inspector and a minority inspector.
These elected members are chosen every four years, and won’t be up for re-election again until 2025. In the event of a vacancy, the county is responsible to appoint someone to fill the position. Counties also need poll worker volunteers to help voters sign in to vote, and more.
“Elections in the commonwealth would be impossible without the thousands of selfless poll workers — including Blithe — whose work enables their neighbors to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” Ms. Chapman said. “I urge any eligible Pennsylvanian who wants to get involved in their community to become a poll worker.”
Those interested in becoming a poll worker can submit an interest form here. View the eligibility requirements here.
Gillian McGoldrick; gmcgoldrick@post-gazette.com or on Twitter @gill_mcgoldrick
First Published: August 16, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: August 16, 2022, 10:03 a.m.
