OMAHA, Neb. — Americans are encouraged to do their duty and vote Election day. But in Nebraska, some residents have to go a step further: They have to help run the election.
Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. to employ mandatory voting to hire poll workers, election office assistants and pollsters, among others, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Anyone who ignores a subpoena can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $100.
Twenty years ago, Dawn O’Brien was busy teaching and taking children to school and practice when she received a letter saying she had been selected for election. By then he had lived in Omaha for about 25 years and had never heard of mandatory voting.
“I was shocked,” he recalled. “I remember thinking, ‘Boy, how am I going to juggle?'”
But like many Nebraska residents who entered the workforce, O’Brien ended up with a newfound appreciation for civic service. Today, he is willing to work in most elections.
“I have learned so much about what it takes to have a free and fair election,” he said. “It’s a lot of effort to do this and do it well.”
So far, only Douglas and Sarpy counties — among the most populous in the state’s Omaha metro area — use the draft. That’s why, with nearly 500,000 of the state’s 1.25 million registered voters in those two counties, they need thousands of workers to support hundreds of polling stations.
Finding all that support, especially at a time when election workers are struggling the threats and security concerns — can be a challenge, said Brian Kruse of the Douglas County Board of Elections. For the upcoming election, Douglas will employ about 3,000 election workers, 45% of whom will be staffed.
While other states rely on election officials to recruit staff, some turn to churches or community civic organizations to recruit volunteers, Nebraska’s system works much like jury duty: registered voters are randomly selected to serve on Election Day. State law allows exemptions for anyone over age 70, those with documented health problems or other reasons deemed acceptable. It also allows those with young children to delay service until the children are older.
The only other way out of election duty?
“You have to remove yourself from the voter rolls,” Kruse said. “Most people don’t want to go down that road.”
Unlike jury duty, draft picks in Nebraska are not obligated to serve in the next election. They are on the hook for four elections.
Along with volunteers, election candidates are paid a minimum wage of $12 an hour. State law requires employers to allow employees paid time off to fulfill the duty, although employers can deduct the election’s work pay from the paid time off.
Power the Polls, a national initiative to hire election workers starting in 2020, looks at Nebraska’s approach, which has been in practice since at least the 1950s.
Marta Hanson, national program manager for Power the Polls, said a draft is an innovative way to ensure diversity in the polling workforce and recruit younger workers in a field dominated by the over-60s.
“One of the biggest requests we hear from election administrators across the country is for poll workers who are tech-savvy, comfortable using an iPad or tablet while updating election-related technology nationally,” Hanson said.
Had he not been selected, O’Brien said he probably would never have considered volunteering.
“It wouldn’t have crossed my mind,” O’Brien said. “It gives me a sense of pride to know that I am helping to promote democracy. There are probably many people in other parts of the world who are happy to have the right to vote.”
