Labor Unions Plan To Turn Out An Army Of Poll Workers For The Election
In a normal election year, labor unions would be kicking their canvassing programs into high gear right about now, sending members door to door to talk with voters. But the coronavirus has made this election anything but normal, and unions are changing their game plans accordingly.
Election officials fear a historic shortage of poll workers due to the pandemic, since such workers tend to be senior citizens at high risk for the coronavirus. So, in a bid to keep voter turnout high, some of the largest unions are recruiting their own members to staff precincts on Nov. 3 and during early voting.
A lack of poll workers can lead to a lack of available polling places ― and voter disenfranchisement. Given that the pandemic has made door-knocking infeasible in so many areas, labor groups are diverting some of that energy and resources to the poll worker cause.
“With COVID, door-to-door has gone by the wayside. So this is how we show up for the moment,” said Michael Podhorzer, who leads political strategy at the AFL-CIO labor federation, which includes 55 unions. “It’s a million-person workforce that kind of has to be replaced. This has to get done.”
The AFL-CIO’s executive council discussed the poll worker issue in June and decided to make it a priority, Podhorzer said. Several of the federation’s member unions ― including UNITE HERE, the United Steelworkers, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ― are contributing to the effort with their own recruiting programs launched this summer.
The goal is to find members who aren’t especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and get them to sign up to work a polling place through their local election office. Working the polls is a nonpartisan duty that requires training and often comes with a stipend. This year it will involve a few wrinkles, like wearing protective equipment, guiding people on social distancing and disinfecting voting...
