ABA joins NASS and NASED to mobilize lawyers as poll workers for upcoming elections

By American Bar Association

For the third consecutive election cycle, the American Bar Association is collaborating with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) to issue a call aimed at mobilizing lawyers to assist as poll workers for the upcoming election. The Poll Worker, Esq. initiative encourages lawyers, law students and other legal professionals to assist in upcoming elections by serving as poll workers.

“Elections are the lifeblood of our democracy,” ABA President William R. Bay said. “But they don’t happen without the dedication and hard work of many people working with state and local election officials and staff to make it an easy experience for anyone to vote. Poll workers are an essential part of that team effort. The ABA encourages lawyers to step up and volunteer to be poll workers. Be a part of this important process. Your service to your community makes a difference.”

Information on this campaign can be found at ambar.org/vote, the ABA’s Poll Worker, Esq. homepage, which provides resources on the need for poll workers, the crucial work they do, and the reasons why lawyers are perfectly suited for that work. The initiative will be accompanied by a social media campaign on the ABA’s Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Threads accounts, which will run through the fall and is designed to provide practical ways to get involved in the election process. The hashtag for the effort is #PollWorkerEsq.

Interested lawyers and law students can go to www.canivote.org and click on the Become a Poll Worker tab to find out how to serve in their jurisdictions. Depending on the state or territory, tasks may range from staffing polling places to processing returned ballot envelopes, and more. Some jurisdictions offer Continuing Legal Education credit for training and service as a poll worker as well.

“As a lawyer by trade, I know firsthand how much legal professionals value our democracy and rule of law. I want to thank our associations for again encouraging ABA professionals to step up to become poll workers,” said Steve Simon, NASS president and Minnesota Secretary of State. “Chief election officials are anticipating record turnouts this presidential election. So please consider becoming a poll worker to help election officials across the country keep our elections fair, orderly and secure for all. The time is now.”

“Serving as a poll worker is a meaningful act of public service, and we’re proud to be working with the American Bar Association again to encourage their members to sign up. Poll workers are the face of an election for most voters, so we hope this partnership encourages lawyers, law students, and anyone who can to step up and serve, not just in November 2024 but in all elections happening in their communities,” said Bryan Caskey, NASED incoming president and Director of Elections, Kansas Secretary of State.

The ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law is a bipartisan committee of election law experts working to ensure smooth, secure, and equitable election administration at the federal, state, and local level.

National Association of Secretaries of State is the nation’s oldest nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. NASS serves as a medium for the exchange of information between states and fosters cooperation in the development of public policy. The association has key initiatives in the areas of elections and voting, state business services, cybersecurity, and archives/records management.

The National Association of State Election Directors is a nonpartisan professional association for state election directors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five US territories. In each of their states, election directors are responsible for implementing election laws and policies, maintaining voter registration databases, working with local election officials to ensure a successful voting experience for all voters, and more. NASED facilitates the distribution of election administration best practices and information across the states and territories.

(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2024/08/aba-koins-nass-and-nased-poll-workers/)

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