Message from ABA President Urging Law Students to Serve as Poll Workers

As president of the American Bar Association, I ask that your law schools let students know of the opportunity to serve as poll workers in the 2020 election. The ABA’s Poll Worker, Esq., initiative is sponsored with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors.

Poll workers help ensure free and fair elections, and law students as well as lawyers are especially suited to serve. With the added obstacle of a pandemic this year, finding people who are at lower risk to assist as poll workers is even more important. This is an opportunity for young lawyers and soon-to-be lawyers to step up and serve their communities.

Law students, lawyers, and others can visit www.canivote.org and click on the “Become a Poll Worker” tab to find out how to serve in their jurisdictions. Depending on the state, tasks may range from staffing polling places to processing returned ballot envelopes and more.

More information is available at ambar.org/vote, a website of the ABA Standing Committee on Election Law.

I have signed up to serve as a poll worker. I hope your students—and you, your faculty, and staff—will join me.

Thank you for sharing this information on your student listservs, newsletters, and other communications.

Trish Refo, President
American Bar Association