NORRISTOWN, PA — In a proactive move to bolster its election workforce, Montgomery County has announced plans to harness the recent changes to the Federal Work-Study program, enabling college students to be compensated for their involvement in non-partisan voter registration and polling services.
This strategic decision follows a roundtable discussion on voting rights at the White House, where Montgomery County Board of Elections Chair Neil Makhija represented the county. The meeting, hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, February 27, was aimed at expanding voter accessibility and safeguarding voting rights.
Makhija was among an elite group of decision-makers invited to the White House to deliberate on these critical issues. During the meeting, Vice President Harris unveiled several initiatives to expand voter registration, including the provision of voter registration information to enrollees by federal agencies like Social Security and Health and Human Services. A key part of these measures was the allowance for college students to be paid through federal funding for registering voters and working at polling locations.
“The 2024 election will test the strength of our democratic system even more than the unprecedented election of 2020,” said Makhija. “Burnout and fear could set off a looming poll worker crisis, in addition to all the continued threats of voter suppression and disinformation.”
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania’s third-largest county, is no stranger to innovative approaches to increasing voter participation. The county currently employs a robust high school student poll worker recruitment program, boosting its poll worker numbers to 2,500. Furthermore, Montgomery County has made good use of Pennsylvania’s Election Integrity Grant Program, which provided state-funded grant money to pay poll workers.
The county is poised to implement the Federal Work-Study provision to pay college students for their work in voter registration and polling once further details are announced. Local colleges and universities will be convened to promote the program.
Jamila H. Winder, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative. “Young people are excited to be engaged in the democratic process, and to have them employed in this way is a win-win for democracy,” she said. “We want people to register to vote, we want them to find it easy to register to vote, and we want young people to be excited about being a part of that process.”
This initiative signifies a vital step toward enhancing voter accessibility and participation in Montgomery County. By leveraging federal resources to engage younger citizens in the democratic process, the county is not only addressing potential staffing shortages for the 2024 election but also fostering a culture of civic engagement among its youth. The implications of such an initiative reach beyond merely filling poll worker vacancies; it could lead to higher voter registration and turnout rates, thereby strengthening the democratic process at its core.
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