Ashcroft asks Missourians to help out on election day

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is celebrating National Poll Worker Recruitment Day today by urging Missourians to sign up to be a poll worker for the Nov. 3 general election.

“While often overlooked, poll workers are a vital piece of our democracy,” Ashcroft said. “They are the dedicated few that ensure our elections run smoothly and continue to be fair, safe and secure. We encourage all Missourians who are willing and able to sign up to help out this November.”

Poll workers’ duties include setting up and preparing polling locations, greeting voters, verifying voter registrations and issuing ballots. They also guide voters through the voting process, demonstrating equipment as needed. Poll workers are overseen and trained by their local election authority.

Missourians can visit this link to sign up to be a poll worker, or they can contact their local election authority for further details. Information entered at the sign-up link will be directed to the individual’s local election authority.

Ashcroft has taken steps recently to make the polls safe for both voters and poll workers. In May, he drove more than 5,000 miles and visited all 116 election jurisdictions. He delivered 17,000 face masks, 17,000 face shields, 500 gallons of sanitizer, 40,000 floor strips for physical distancing and 16,000 posters that encouraged six feet of distance between voters.

In early May, he began distributing $4.5 million to local election authorities allowing funding for them to meet their jurisdiction’s individual needs. More recently, the office shipped 4,900 more face masks at the request of some election officials.