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Wednesday, December 4, 2024

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Police Hunt for Gunman After UnitedHealthcare C.E.O. Is Killed in Midtown Manhattan; Record number of women to serve in state legislatures nationwide; Onions caused McDonald's E. coli outbreak but beef production still a concern; Detroit suburb revitalized by federal funds.

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Trump reportedly is considering replacing Pete Hegseth as defense nominee, the French PM is ousted, South Korea rejects martial law, Montana blocks a trans bathroom ban, and women's representation in state legislatures hits new highs.

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Limited access to community resources negatively impacts rural Americans' health, a successful solar company is the result of a Georgia woman's determination to stay close to her ailing grandfather and Connecticut is looking for more ways to cut methane emissions.

Election 2024: Passing the poll worker torch in MN

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Wednesday, November 6, 2024   

In Minnesota and across the U.S., poll workers are being praised for stepping up during another big election.

Administrators hope the goodwill inspires others to take on these roles in the next election cycle. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission said in a presidential year, it normally takes about 1 million workers to carry out a safe and smooth vote.

Ben Hovland, chairman of the commission, said even with some progress after the pandemic, there are still recruitment challenges, noting it has become a year-round task for many local offices.

As some workers age out, Hovland credits states like Minnesota for having programs to train high school students for the work.

"We hear from our veteran poll workers, our more experienced poll workers, they're also very energized and appreciate seeing younger Americans coming out and helping to serve, learning about the process," Hovland pointed out.

Minnesota's program allows 16- and 17-year-olds to become election judge trainees. Elsewhere in the U.S., more than a dozen higher ed institutions received grants from the Commission this year to hire more college students as nonpartisan poll workers. Some states have increased pay for the roles as an incentive.

Concerns about threats and intimidation toward election staff are often cited as a potential barrier to attracting the next generation of poll workers. Hovland agreed the incidents need to be taken seriously but added they're still rare, and local offices are better prepared to handle them.

"We've seen things like more de-escalation training as a part of poll worker training," Hovland noted.

And last year, Minnesota joined the wave of states to adopt laws to better protect election administrators and their staff in a heated political environment.

According to the Pew Research Center, Minnesota is among the states with most poll workers per voting site, with 12.


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