Making A Difference: Election Season, How You Can Help
Did you know that much of the staff and volunteers that it takes to put on our elections are older adults?
Amidst the uncertainty our older adults now face with COVID-19, that finds many of our counties facing shortages in staff and the volunteers necessary to work the upcoming election.
I’ve heard before that volunteering as an election judge is an exciting and eye-opening experience. In fact, it’s actually been on my bucket list to check out. Maybe this year is THE year? You can bet I’m looking into it!
If you or someone you know has any flexibility and desire to help your community during this “year of the coronavirus” here is a great way to do it over the next couple months.
Some options are:
- Check out powerthepolls.org. Power The Polls is a first of it’s kind initiative to recruit poll workers to ensure a safe and fair election for all voters. (Note: Working the polls may even be a PAID position and is likely to entail you working at poll locations around your county. While Colorado is a mail-in ballot state, we do still have poll stations for those that prefer to vote in person).
- Reach out to your local county to learn more about becoming an election judge. This position is likely to be a volunteer position and may include things like sorting, tabulating, verifying signatures or data entry.
Some county sites are:
Jefferson County: https://www.jeffco.us/608/Election-Judges
Douglas County: https://www.douglas.co.us/elections/election-judge-information/election-judge-interest-online-survey-form/
Araphaoe County: https://www.arapahoevotes.com/upcoming-election
If your county is not listed here and you need help connecting with them, email us and we’ll get you to the right place!
For more information about how COVID has been impacting this years elections, see here: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/06/older-people-account-for-large-shares-of-poll-workers-and-voters-in-u-s-general-elections/