Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. that employs compulsory election duty to recruit precinct poll workers, election office helpers, and ballot deliverers. Residents who ignore a summons for election duty could be charged with a criminal misdemeanor and fined up to $100. Dawn O’Brien, a Nebraska resident, initially found the idea of mandatory election duty surprising but ended up with a newfound appreciation for civic service. She now volunteers to work most elections and has learned a lot about the effort required to pull off free and fair elections.
The draft for election duty is currently only used in Douglas and Sarpy counties in Nebraska, which have a large population and need thousands of workers to help at hundreds of polling places. Finding all that help, especially amidst threats and safety concerns for election workers, can be a challenge. Douglas County Election Commission Brian Kruse mentioned that for the upcoming election, around 3,000 election workers will be employed, with 45% of them being drafted. Nebraska’s election draft system is similar to jury duty, where registered voters are selected at random to serve on Election Day. State law allows exemptions for certain individuals or reasons deemed acceptable.
Those selected for the Nebraska election draft are obligated to work in four consecutive elections, unlike jury duty where individuals only serve for one case. Along with volunteers, election draftees are paid a minimum wage of $12 an hour. State law requires employers to allow paid time off for election duty, with the option to deduct the election work pay from the paid time off. Power the Polls, a national initiative started in 2020 to recruit election workers, recognizes Nebraska’s innovative approach of using a draft system to ensure diversity among poll workers and recruit younger individuals with tech fluency.
Marta Hanson, national program manager for Power the Polls, highlighted the importance of having poll workers with tech fluency, especially as election-related technology is being upgraded nationwide. O’Brien mentioned that had she not been drafted for election duty, she likely would have never considered volunteering. She now finds a sense of pride in knowing that she is helping to promote democracy and acknowledges that there are many people around the world who would be thrilled to have the right to vote. Nebraska’s unique approach to recruiting election workers through a draft system has been in practice since at least the 1950s and continues to shape the state’s election process.
