Poll workers are in high demand to adequately staff each poll site during early voting (October 24-November 1 in New York) and on Election Day (November 3). The IBEW and AFL-CIO have partnered with civic organizations and the business community to 'Power The Polls,' a first-of-its-kind initiative to keep as many polls open as possible through early voting and on Election Day. The goal is to recruit 250,000 people from diverse backgrounds and low-risk profiles for coronavirus, especially since the majority of poll workers in the past have been 60 or older. Multilingual speakers are also needed.
Sign up at powerthepolls.org/aflcio or visit your state’s Board of Elections website to apply. New York City residents can apply here. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order allowing New Yorkers to work at the polls without losing their unemployment insurance payments. PPE will be provided.
If you or anyone you know still needs to register to vote, verify your voter registration, or order an absentee/mail-in ballot, please go to IBEWVotes2020.org. Polling locations and hours for all five boroughs can be found on vote.nyc. Endorsements, volunteer opportunities, and more information for Local 3, IBEW members regarding the General Election are available in the Union World September issue.
