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    Volunteer for Poll Worker, Esq.

    Patricia Lee Refo and Estelle H Rogers

    Sep 30, 2020

    2 min read

    Career Civic Engagement Public Service

    Summary

    • The American Bar Association, in collaboration with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors, has launched "Poll Worker, Esq."
    • The initiative encourages lawyers, law students, and legal professionals to serve as nonpartisan poll workers for the 2020 election.
    • With the challenges of the pandemic, there's a crucial need for volunteers to ensure a safe and accurate election. Individuals can sign up at www.canivote.org, and training may be eligible for Continuing Legal Education credit.
    • The ABA encourages organizations to spread the word and participate in the #PollWorkerEsq social media campaign. Visit ambar.org/vote for more information.
    Volunteer for Poll Worker, Esq.
    istockphoto.com/SDI Productions

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    We want to let you know about an exciting new project called Poll Worker, Esq. and to ask for your help. The American Bar Association is partnering with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors to encourage lawyers, law students and other legal professionals to serve as nonpartisan poll workers for the upcoming 2020 election. Depending on the jurisdiction, tasks may range from staffing polling places to processing returned ballot envelopes and more. This is strictly a nonpartisan effort designed to help people vote and to help local officials ensure a safe and accurate election.

    We are reaching out to you to urge your members, colleagues and networks to volunteer for this effort.  Serving as a poll worker is integral to assuring a free and fair election this November, and lawyers are especially suited to help. With the added obstacle of a pandemic this year, finding people who are at lower health risk to assist as poll workers is even more important. States across the country are predicting a shortage of workers to serve for the November 3 General Election. Even states that vote primarily by mail recognize the particular challenge this year. This is an opportunity for lawyers, and soon-to-be lawyers, to step up and serve.

    We need your help. We hope you will utilize all means of communication at your disposal to reach out to your community and urge lawyers and law students to give their time and talent to Poll Worker, Esq.

    Interested poll workers can sign up on www.canivote.org and click on the “Become a Poll Worker” tab to find out how to serve in their jurisdictions. Poll worker training for lawyers may be eligible for Continuing Legal Education credit.

    Details are available at ambar.org/vote—including a video that encourages lawyers and law students to become poll workers and explains how to sign up as a poll worker.

    We recently launched a social media campaign that will run through September on the ABA’s Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. The hashtag for the effort is #PollWorkerEsq. Please share the ABA posts linked to below on your entity’s social media platforms or create your own posts.

    https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6704417474978304000

    https://twitter.com/ABAesq/status/1300871124251742224

    https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBarAssociation/photos/a.10151587460154669/10159002879664669

    The ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law is dedicated to developing and examining ways to improve the federal electoral process to permit the broadest, least restrictive access by all eligible Americans to the ballot box and to ensure all those votes are counted.  Please let us know how the Committee can help you participate in this important initiative.

    Trish Refo, President, American Bar Association
    Estelle Rogers, Chair, ABA Standing Committee on Election Law

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