US Hires Teens Amid Labor Shortage
Voting Rights Not Required
"1 Million Needed This Year"
With the upcoming U.S. presidential election set to be a showdown between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, election authorities are actively recruiting teenage students as poll workers.
According to reports from U.S. media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Election Assistance Commission expects to need up to one million poll workers this year and has turned to recruiting teenagers. This shift comes as the majority of poll workers in the past were seniors aged 60 and above, but many have hesitated to participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a significant staffing gap during election periods.
A 2022 Election Assistance Commission survey found that more than half of U.S. polling places are struggling to hire workers during election seasons. The average age of poll workers surveyed was 61 years old. In terms of proportions, 26.1% were aged 71 or older, 31.7% were between 61 and 70, meaning that workers aged 61 and above accounted for 50% of the total. Those aged 41 to 60 made up 26.4%, while workers 40 and under comprised only 16.1%.
Given this situation, election authorities have begun visiting schools ahead of the November presidential election to recruit teenage students as poll workers. Prior to the Pennsylvania primary held on the 23rd of last month, election officials visited local high school classrooms to educate students on tasks such as obtaining voter signatures and scanning ballots using voting machines. Not all teenagers can work inside polling places, but those who have pre-registered are eligible. Election authorities also paid these students a stipend of $280 (approximately 383,000 KRW).
Typically, teenagers do not work alone inside polling places but operate in pairs with existing staff. Although they lack on-site experience, their physical strength and proficiency with new technology are leveraged to handle heavy lifting and operate voting equipment, tasks that older workers may find more challenging.
Maine, facing a shortage of poll workers ahead of its primary on the 11th of next month, announced it is seeking additional local workers including 16- and 17-year-olds. Since 2018, the state has prepared for students to serve as poll workers. However, unlike Pennsylvania, Maine does not provide payment. A teacher in Maine reported that students are not particularly concerned about only receiving pizza on election day, as they do not have to attend school that day and can use the experience for college applications.
In Philadelphia, teenagers have been working at polling places since 2021. A high school teacher in the area said that upon contact from election authorities, they recommend students who have good attendance or grades to work at polling places. Forty students from this school worked at the primary held on the 23rd of last month, and the work proceeded smoothly without major issues.
WSJ reported, "The increasingly polarized political environment, highlighted by the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021, has made recruiting poll workers even more difficult." Among teachers, there is also an assessment that the experience teenagers gain from working at polling places, where various unpredictable situations can arise, is highly beneficial, WSJ added.
In addition to recruiting students through schools, U.S. election authorities are focusing on new methods to secure poll workers. In Kentucky, some wine bottles have been labeled with QR codes promoting poll worker recruitment, and in Detroit, a basketball team has agreed to work on election day. Some states recognize volunteer work at polling places by lawyers as completion of certain educational requirements, WSJ reported.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
