Elderly Poll Workers May Cause Problems
By Norial Bain The Hilltop Student Newspaper for Howard University
Published: Friday, September 17, 2004
The biggest threat to the upcoming presidential election may not be malfunctioning voting machines or a terrorist attack, but the potential for confusion and mistakes by the nation's aging corps of precinct poll workers. The average age of poll workers in America is 72-years-old. Election officials fear that older poll workers not familiar with this era of computers and touch screens may deny many citizens their right to vote.

"If they don't get it right, someone could be denied their opportunity to vote," said Paul DeGregorio, one of four members of the U. S. Election Assistance Commission that was created by Congress in 2002.

Officials hope that recruiting younger volunteers before election- day will help to remedy the problem. However, with less than two months remaining until voters cast their ballots, many youth still have not answered the volunteer beckon. The low stipend awarded (between $95 and $125) and the long tedious hours required to work (an average day of 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) may be a repellent to young persons.

Some counties, such as Johnson and Marion in the state of Indiana, have proceeded with reducing the required volunteer age of 18 to 16 in hopes of attracting more youths. But some favor more aggressive tactics.

"Stipend increases could be considered, but more so, educating our young people in their language about polling divisions, their significance, and how they operate could also prove an alluring alternative," said John Patrick Iffdi, a political science lecturer at Howard University. " Perhaps it can even be considered to give college students registered for a political course some academic credit for serving at, or visiting a polling station."

In Marion County, despite the lowering of the age allowing more teens to become poll workers, some officials are still rooting for seniors.

"Some of our best workers are retired," said Marion County republican chairman Michael Murphy. "They show up and stick with it." Many say teenagers are not nearly as enthused about working polling stations as senior citizens.

"Young people tend to feel political impacts least," said Iffdi. "Therefore they are more stagnant in becoming politically involved." He adds, "Retired people are more politically conscientious because they feel political decisions the most, being more involved in paying taxes and the like, and they are more informed about politics as a whole."

Officials are also concerned that an inadequate workforce for Election Day may also cause problems at the ballot box. Reports show that polling officials are about 500,000 short of the two million workers needed to sufficiently staff a national election, according to the U. S. Election Assistance Commission. Horror tales about the possible mistakes that could be made in this year's election have made many in the public contemplate the possibility of chaos occurring similar to the debacle of 2000. Florida, the scene of the last elections confusion, has enacted voting legislation that will allow as many jurisdictions as possible to use computerized voting equipment that posses touch screens. Florida officials say such machines should be capable of enduring this task since they are used in performing financial transactions, such as ABM's or Automated Banking Machines. Additionally, the U. S. Election Assistance Commission has issued an online 'tool kit' for America's 193,000 polling outlets that convey advice on the recruitment and training of volunteers, designing ballots, maintaining voting equipment and conducting ballot recounts.