Bucks County Needs Election Workers For November

Bucks County election officials are making a push for residents to step up and serve as poll workers ahead of what is expected to be a busy November midterm election.

The Bucks County Board of Elections used Tuesday’s National Poll Worker Recruitment Day to focus on the need for election workers.

National Poll Worker Recruitment Day is part of a U.S. Election Assistance Commission initiative to tackle the challenge of fully staffing precincts.

Officials must recruit enough workers to cover more than 300 polling locations across Bucks County.

Election workers in the county can earn up to $195 for working a full day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with additional pay provided for mandatory training sessions. Half-day shifts are also available.

To be an election worker, prospective applicants must be registered voters in Bucks County. However, 17-year-old high school students are also eligible to participate through the county’s Youth at the Booth program.

Polling sites rely on four primary positions to run smoothly, according to the county:

Judge of Elections – Overseer of the polling place on Election Day
Majority/Minority Inspectors – Greet and check-in voters on the poll book
Clerks – Help check-in voters and distribute paper ballots
Machine Inspectors – Help voters with questions when scanning their ballots

Poll workers described the job as both community-focused and straightforward in a county press release.

“Working at the polls feels like an all-day block party – meeting new neighbors, catching up with those you don’t see often, and celebrating the first-time voters you knew as toddlers,” said Kathleen M., a poll worker from Langhorne.

Tom P., a Buckingham Township resident who assisted during the last two elections, said that thorough preparation made the job easy to navigate.

“Training was provided and I felt comfortable with the assigned responsibilities,” he said. “It was a rewarding experience that I recommend to anyone who wants to get involved in public matters.”

Sharon C., a judge of elections in Bensalem Township who has worked at the polls for 25 years, said the personal connections keep her coming back.

“I enjoy the camaraderie and teamwork with a great group of people who have become friends,” she said. “I also look forward to seeing new faces of first-time voters or new neighbors and connecting with neighbors that I may not see that often. I would encourage anyone to give working at the polls a try.”

Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said there is a widespread need for precinct workers across the state.

“Counties always need new recruits,” Schmidt said. “Many counties specifically need bilingual poll workers, especially those who speak Spanish and Mandarin, to help voters who require language assistance.”

Bucks Countians interested in serving can learn more or apply online at BucksCounty.gov/Elections or by filling out the Pennsylvania Poll Worker Interest Form.