Politics & Government
Voting Rights Groups Send Election Officials Guides To Ensure Poll Worker Security
Concerned about "rogue" poll workers, two voting rights groups sent guides to election officials in Florida this week.
FLORIDA — Concerned about “rogue” poll workers, two voting rights groups sent guides to election officials in Florida this week that summarize laws already on the books regarding poll worker recruitment and training.
The Brennan Center for Justice and All Voting is Local sent out similar guides to election officials in seven other states at the end of last month but delayed sending it out to Florida supervisors of elections because of Hurricane Ian.
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The groups say they sent their guide as a reaction to press reports about efforts in Florida and around the country “to recruit individuals who subscribe to falsehoods about elections and the integrity of the democratic process as poll workers.” A story CNN published last month that reported that GOP leaders in Michigan had “encouraged” rule breaking during a poll worker training session.
“The purpose of this study is twofold,” says Brad Ashwell, Florida state director for All Voting is Local. “It’s trying to make sure the public knows that there are some protections in place to make sure that these people that are trying to upend the election process aren’t successful. But it’s also to make sure that supervisors [of elections], especially those that might be newer and their staff, know the rules and know what they’re supposed to be doing and have some sort of document reference source to fall back on.”
Find out what's happening in Across Floridafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Some of the provisions in Florida’s election law regarding poll workers include:
There are 25 left before Election Day and some counties are still in need of poll workers. Palm Beach County needs about 400 to 500 people to work as poll workers, according to a story published last week by WPTV.
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