Dear NRDC Action Fund Supporter,

America faces a record shortage of poll workers this year because of COVID-19.

Together we've done an incredible amount of work to defeat Donald Trump — but we can't finish the job if there aren't enough polling sites open on Election Day.

And with our climate crisis raging, it's never been clearer that our very survival depends on taking our country back from Trump's climate-denying big polluter allies who run it.

Today is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. Will you sign up to be a poll worker on Election Day?

Poll workers will receive training, and in many cases, payment for their work.

I'm a policy advisor for the NRDC Action Fund, but I've also been a poll worker for eight years. Poll workers are non-partisan, and they help ensure that anyone who chooses to vote in person can do so as easily and safely as possible. I love helping my neighbors vote, and people are so appreciative of our work, especially since the pandemic started.

I help with a little of everything — arranging chairs, directing traffic, signing in voters, and making sure everyone has a seamless voting experience. But many of my fellow poll workers, especially older folks, can't work the polls this year because of the health risks posed by COVID-19. So if you feel healthy and comfortable with being out in your community, signing up to be a poll worker helps protect your neighbors who are elderly, immunocompromised, or otherwise high-risk.

Without more poll workers, communities around the country will be forced to drastically cut the number of polling sites, and voters could have to stand for hours in incredibly long lines — especially voters in communities of color, who already face barriers against exercising their right to vote. That is unacceptable any year, but especially this year, when insidious voter suppression tactics are making it even more difficult for many voters to access the polls.

Join me and help staff your polling place on Election Day!

The NRDC Action Fund strongly encourages everyone who can vote by mail to request their mail-in ballots — and send them back — as soon as possible. But for voters who will cast their ballots in person — early, if possible, or on Election Day — poll workers are absolutely essential.

We need as many poll workers as possible this year to keep our voting sites open and safeguard our democracy, so we can ensure every American's fundamental right to vote.

Since I started working at the polls, election days have become some of my favorite days of the year. It's an incredibly rewarding experience, and the need for people to step up has never been greater — if you are considered low-risk for COVID-19 and feel healthy, I hope you'll consider signing up today.

Sincerely,

Anna Weber
Policy Advisor, NRDC Action Fund

P.S. If you don't feel comfortable signing up to be a poll worker, that's OK! You can also help out without leaving home by signing up to text voters in key states and help boost voter turnout where we need it most.