The Basics

If you’ve ever voted in-person before, you’re probably familiar with poll workers: they’re the people who find your name in the poll book, check your ID if your state requires one, answer any questions you have, and collect your ballot afterward. But you might not know that in one state, poll workers are elected. In Pennsylvania, every single precinct and polling place has three elected officials: a Judge of Elections, Majority Inspector, and Minority Inspector. With over 9,000 precincts, that’s over 27,000 elected officials!

The three officials have divided responsibilities in their polling places:

• Judge of Elections
  The Judge runs the polling place and supervises everyone working there – they open and close the location, make sure only eligible voters cast ballots, prevent fraud, and are responsible for returning the ballots and correctly-counted results to the county office at the end of Election Day
• Majority Inspector and Minority Inspector
  Inspectors check voter registrations, verify signatures, check that the voting machine numbers are accurate, and make sure the whole process runs smoothly, legally, and fairly

Judges run in a traditional election, and whoever gets the most votes wins. All candidates for Inspector run for office on the same ballot – whoever gets the most votes becomes the Majority Inspector, and the 2nd-place finisher becomes the Minority Inspector.

These are pretty obscure roles with a lot of openings to fill, so there are often vacancies. When that happens, there are specific processes for filling the roles. If the vacancy happens within five days of an election, officials in county government will appoint replacements. If the vacancy happens more than five days before an election, a judge of the local Court of Common Pleas will appoint replacements. 

Students can also serve as poll workers, even if they’re not old enough to vote yet. They can’t run for these roles in elections, but can be appointed by the county government. Student poll workers need to be at least 17 years old and get permission from their school and their parent or guardian.

Term limits

None; terms are four years, and poll workers are responsible for working every Election Day during their term

Eligibility

To run for a poll worker role, you must be a registered voter, live in the precinct you want to serve in, and be able to read, write, and speak English. Training is also required. Anyone who’s running in the current election can’t serve as a poll worker, and most government officials and employees can’t serve as poll workers either – the only exceptions are district judges, notaries, and Pennsylvania National Guard service members.

How can I get involved?

If you live in Pennsylvania and are interested in getting involved in local government, being a poll worker is a great place to start. You’ll learn more about the democratic process and help make voting more accessible for your neighbors. You can run for one of these offices if you qualify, or if the deadline has passed you can get in touch with your county’s elections office and see if there are vacancies you can fill. Find your county’s office here.

If you live in another state, Work Elections is a great resource for anyone interested in being a poll worker.

Sources: Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes; VoteBeat Pennsylvania; All Voting is Local; Pennsylvania Capital-Star; Brennan Center for Justice; Bolts Magazine the Committee of Seventy; Allegheny County Government; Bucks County Government