Georgia Sec. of State Partners with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Federation to Recruit Poll Workers

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is partnering with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber Federation to recruit poll workers for elections in November. The Secretary is spearheading this partnership with the Georgia Chamber to ensure county election officials have the staff they need on and in the weeks before election day.

“As an important voice for business in Georgia, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce will help us reach out to the business community and our local chambers to connect to a wide pool of potential volunteers,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “When COVID-19 swept through Georgia, Georgia’s vulnerable elderly poll workers stayed home to stay safe from the pandemic. Through these public-private partnerships, like the one with the Georgia Chamber, we will fill the gaps with younger poll workers and help provide a smooth and efficient experience for Georgia’s voters in November.”

“The Georgia Chamber believes in the power of the vote and supports the recruitment and training of poll workers that will effectively ensure that Georgians voices are heard in the 2020 election,” said Chris Clark, President & CEO of the Georgia Chamber. “We appreciate the Secretary’s leadership to see a need and take action to ensure a better experience for everyone this fall and will work closely with our 160 local and binational chambers to answer this call.”

Many of Georgia’s traditional poll workers are 65 years of age and older and, with COVID-19 still a factor, this population is considered at-risk and has been encouraged to remain home for safety reasons. As a result, polling locations across the state have been short-staffed on election days and limited in their ability to train new poll workers due to the constraints of the pandemic.

To fill this gap, Secretary Raffensperger is partnering with numerous organizations in the state to recruit a younger, less-at-risk population to staff the polls on election day. By working with a wide array of private and nonprofit organizations, Raffensperger is seeking to engage more Georgians in the election and poll-worker process.

On June 9, Georgia saw record turnout for a statewide general primary election. The state set a record for absentee ballots cast by mail, witnessed over 800,000 voters on election day, itself, and welcomed more than 300,000 early, in-person voters during the three weeks of early voting. Looking ahead to November, turnout is expected to be three times as high as what we witnessed earlier this year. To learn more about becoming a poll worker in Georgia, please click HERE.