Colleges’ Next Step In Civic Engagement: Recruiting Poll Workers

Posted by Forbes on August 25, 2026

Growing up, civic engagement was always around me. My mom has worked the polls during elections, so Election Day had a familiar routine in my family. I would go with my dad while he voted, stop by to see my mom, say hello to her friends and fellow poll workers, and collect my ‘I Voted’ sticker. At the time, I didn’t think much about the people who made elections happen, I just knew my mom was one of them.

In high school, I became interested in local government and how communities come together to make decisions. What made it even more meaningful was being able to connect what I was learning in my classes to someone I knew. By the time I turned 18, I knew I wanted to be part of the process myself. I wanted to be a poll worker, like my mom.

I have now worked as a poll worker in my small Kentucky town for three years, and I have absolutely fallen in love with it. Working the polls has taught me a lot about elections, but the most valuable lessons have come from the people I’ve met. On Election Day, I am often one of the youngest people in the room. Many of the people I work alongside have been serving our community for decades.

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