Help Out the Vote

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You already know your vote matters. But you can help others vote, too, by serving as an elections officer in Virginia, which is experiencing a shortage of workers.

Applicants must be registered to vote in Virginia, and being bilingual is a plus. You also must be available from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8. Training requirements and pay vary by county.

“The right to vote is the most basic of all political rights,” said Ginger Thompson, AARP state communications director. “Inadequate staff at polling places hinders voting and discourages political participation, especially among minority, low-income, disabled, foreign-born, younger and older voters.”

Half of those who voted in the Democratic primary this year and 58 percent of those in the Republican primary were age 50-plus, according to CNN exit polls.

Interested? Go to sbe.virginia.gov, scroll down, and in the box labeled Important Forms, click on Officer of Election Interest Form.