Washington, DC -  A critical shortage of election workers nationwide causes long lines and frustration at the polls, endangering the democratic process. All Voting is Local is tackling that challenge by launching today a campaign to recruit poll workers for Election Day.

“Be the Difference, Be a Poll Worker,” highlights the vital role that election workers play and aims to recruit people to meet the demand. The campaign includes digital, radio and billboard ads to recruit a diverse group of poll workers to serve in locations with the greatest needs in four target states: Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The effort is a core piece of All Voting is Local’s mission to identify and fix systemic barriers that stand between voters and the ballot, particularly for communities of color.

“Poll workers are the backbone of our elections,” said Hannah Fried, Campaign Director for All Voting is Local, a collaborative campaign of national civil rights organizations. “But a critical shortage of trained election day workers threatens the integrity of the voting process. When polling places don’t have enough trained workers, voters face long lines and burdensome delays that threaten their ability to cast a ballot. Together, we can fix this problem by ensuring this vital position is properly staffed at every polling location, no matter who votes there, so our democracy can work for us all.”

Election administrators nationwide report that recruiting poll workers is a major concern to running effective elections. During the 2016 election, nearly 65 percent of jurisdictions nationwide reported that it was “very difficult” or “somewhat difficult” to recruit enough poll workers, according to a study by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

All Voting is Local’s poll worker recruitment campaign at www.beapollworker.com urges people to give voice to their community by serving as election workers. The website directly links interested workers to their local jurisdiction to sign up for the job, describes the essential tasks involved in being a poll worker and offers resources for more information.