When: Saturday, November 2nd or Tuesday, November 5th, 2024
Where: Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Madera, Marin, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, and Yolo Counties*
Starting in the 1990s, ALC has run a nonpartisan poll monitoring program in California’s elections. The goal of our program is to help ensure that our elections are administered smoothly and that all eligible voters can cast their ballots freely and fairly. Today, our poll monitoring program is the largest nonpartisan election protection program in California and operates in partnership with California Common Cause and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. We use the information volunteer poll monitors provide to resolve problems during elections and to improve the process for future elections.
We are seeking volunteers to observe polls during the November 2024 elections. Volunteers will travel to five polling sites during a four-hour shift. During your visits, you will check for language and disability access (e.g., translated materials, disability compliance, etc.), assist any voters who are encountering problems, and ensure voter harassment and disenfranchisement do not occur. You will be extensively trained and equipped with the tools to resolve a wide variety of issues. You will have access to a legal support hotline that will help resolve problems you may encounter.
This is an in-person volunteer opportunity and you will be asked to enter indoor voting locations where you will encounter poll workers and voters who are not wearing masks. Please take this into consideration when deciding whether you would like to participate in our program.
Volunteer Requirements
- Availability on Saturday, November 2 and/or Tuesday, November 5
- At least 16 years old
- No prior experience necessary; legal and non-legal backgrounds welcome
- You do not have to be a U.S. citizen or a registered voter
- Basic English skills (limited English fluency is completely fine)
- No language skills beyond English are required, but we are especially seeking volunteers who can read Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Punjabi, Korean, Hmong, Khmer, and Hindi to verify the presence of translated election materials
- Access to a car is strongly preferred. Unfortunately, given the lack of reliable transportation alternatives in certain areas, we cannot guarantee that volunteers without access to a car will be able to participate in the program, although we will try our best to assign voting sites that are accessible by public transit or pair such volunteers with partners who have access to a car.
Time Commitment
In addition to a four-hour shift, volunteers should prepare to travel up to 90 minutes to their assigned polling places on November 2nd or November 5th. ALC makes every effort to reduce travel time and consider each volunteer’s preferences while still ensuring that coverage needs are met.
Volunteers will also need to attend a 90-minute online training session prior to participating. Attorneys barred in California will receive 1.5 MCLE credit hours for attending the online training.
Transportation Stipends
To help offset transportation costs, ALC offers volunteers a $100 stipend after completing the program. However, please note that attorneys and law students who are participating in the program to fulfill pro bono requirements or earn MCLE credit hours are not eligible to receive this stipend.
Next Steps
Ready to be a part of our program?
1. Sign up to volunteer by October 6th, 2024.
2. You must also register for one of the following trainings at this link: Fall 2024 Poll Monitoring Training
- Training #1: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 (6:00-7:30 pm)
- Training #2: Thursday, October 10, 2024 (6:00-7:30 pm)
- Training #3: Wednesday, October 16, 2024 (6:00-7:30 pm)
- Training #4: Saturday, October 19, 2024 (10:00-11:30 am)
Thank you for your interest! Please email [email protected] with any questions.
* Interested volunteers who live in Southern California (particularly Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Tulare Counties) should sign up with California Common Cause.