For the first time in years, Virginia is a key battleground state in the presidential election. That's why it is vitally important that every vote is counted on Election Day. But with a record turnout expected throughout the state, coupled with more than 300,000 newly registered, first-time voters, polling places may be overwhelmed and understaffed to handle the turnout.
The AFL-CIO is looking for registered Virginia voters to volunteer to work at the polls around the Commonwealth on Election Day to ensure all eligible voters are allowed to cast their ballots and those ballots are counted.
A study by the nonpartisan Advancement Project predicts that nearly every precinct in Virginia is unprepared to move the number of expected voters through the lines in the 13 hours (6 a.m. to 7 p.m.) the polls are open. Sufficient numbers of poll workers are needed to ensure voters don't give up and leave the lines without voting.
According to the Advancement Project, if voters average three minutes in the voting booth, it would take more than 26 hours in Newport News, 21 hours in Alexandria and 17 hours in Richmond to move all the expected voters through the precincts.
Those also are three areas where new voter registrations show some of the biggest voter registration increases.
A wave of new voters may hamper the ability of poll workers to quickly process voters. Not only would such a slowdown discourage many voters, but without well-trained poll workers, voters mistakenly may be given provisional ballots that won’t be counted or asked for identification not mandated by law.
For more information on becoming a poll worker in Virginia and receiving training, please e-mail vavoterprotection@aflcio.org or call 1-866-338-5720.
A training session for volunteers is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C. Sessions also are planned in Norfolk and Richmond on Nov. 1.
If you do sign up to be a poll worker, you will be eligible to vote absentee, so your vote will be counted, too. Information on absentee voting will be available at the training sessions.
Other Virginia voters also may vote absentee and avoid the expected long lines, if on Election Day they are:
You may visit your local registrar to request an absentee ballot and vote immediately and the deadline to request your ballot and vote at the registrar's office is Nov. 1. You also may call your local registrar to request a form and ballot by mail or visit www.sbe.virginia.gov to download the form. Oct. 28 is the deadline to download or request absentee ballots by mail. Mail your ballot back as soon as possible. If it is not received by Nov. 4, your vote will not be counted.
Poll workers also are needed in many other states. If you are interested, click here.
Click here for information from the AFL-CIO's My Vote, My Right campaign. To learn more about efforts around the country to suppress voter turnout, click here.
After hearing that they didn't need help down here, I put in for leave for election day and told the Obama campaign office I would spend the day driving people to the polls for them.
Seth has brought up the critical need for everyone who is eligible to vote absentee to do so to help reduce the number of people in the lines. Please encourage everyone you know to determine whether or not they are eligible and ask them to vote absentee. I am headed to cast my in-person absentee vote for Barack Obama, Mark Warner, and Glenn Nye now.
If we have long lines there will be people needed outside to keep the lines comfortable (bring extra coats) and willing to wait. Bring them something warm to drink, entertain them, make sure they are ready so when they get inside they can move quickly, make sure they know what they need and who to go too if they have any problems. Also, just holding up signs on the streets. We MUST be present that day.