Volunteers are lacking in voting centers due to the pandemic: they recruit young people

WASHINGTON.— Esteban Garcés volunteered at a polling station in Florida three years ago and still remembers the hustle, confusion, and long lines. Although many people are expected to vote by mail due to the pandemic, the November presidential elections could be similar, Garcés warned, if the worker shortage at the polls is not resolved.

“We are very concerned about this shortage in Florida, where older people traditionally vote. If they do not recruit enough people, the authorities could consolidate several voting centers, but that will generate long lines that can discourage voters, ” explained Garcés, co-director of the Power LatinX group in Orlando.

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“We are working with a coalition of Latino and African-American groups to build a volunteer base and respond to issues that may arise in areas with high numbers of minority voters,” added Garcés, a US-born Bolivian immigrant. 

The Coalition for African American and Latino Voting Access, to which Garcés's group belongs, estimates that it would cost at least $ 100,000 to recruit and train volunteers in the hardest hit areas in Florida.

But his work is key, he insists: in 2017, as an observer in the municipal elections in Orlando, he said he witnessed an intimidation attempt against a Latina voter, who was able to denounce: "This way we could ensure that she could vote."

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The shortage problem is of particular concern in closely contested states, where a candidate's victory or defeat could be defined by a handful of votes.

To avoid delays at the polls on November 3,  activists have begun recruiting an “army” of volunteers for voting centers across the country.

This year, at least 900,000 people will be needed at 115,000 voting centers, according to the Voter Protection Corps (VPC) group. But, with the risk of the coronavirus, it will be more difficult than ever to get them.

“We have already seen many obstacles at the polls for a long time, such as access for minorities and the elderly,” explains Quentin Palfrey, president of VPC, but “now we have this pandemic and the authorities have to rush to implement a system that works. , because there were [personnel] problems in the primaries.

New wave of voters

Voter turnout broke a record in 2018, with more than 120 million voters, that is, 52% of the population with that right, according to the federal Electoral Assistance Commission. Almost six in 10 did so in person on voting day (rather than by mail or in advance).

This year, galvanized for or against President Donald Trump, turnout at the polls could be as high as 70% of the electorate. Young people and minorities have a greater interest in participating in the elections, according to polls such as a recent one from Telemundo and BuzzFeed News.

The fear is that polling stations will not be able to cope with this wave of voters, which will define not only the presidency but also control of Congress and numerous state and local offices across the country.

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For Erika Sutherland, an academic and electoral expert in Allentown (Pennsylvania), the challenge is easy to explain: "The fewer workers there are at the polls, the greater the wait and the risk of suppressing the vote" because they get tired and leave without voting .

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"The immigrant community, minorities, are terrified by all the rhetoric they hear, in some places they see armed people, and it is super important to show our support, and educate them about their rights," adds Sutherland, with Panamanian and US citizenship.

Sutherland conducts training programs for bilingual staff who can serve as interpreters for Hispanic voters: "We ask our volunteers to wear T-shirts with a simple message: 'I speak Spanish, I can help', so that people can identify them without fear and ask for help ".

Why is there a shortage?

Workers, paid or volunteer, are essential as observers or to prepare the ballot boxes, verify the identity of voters, and assist with the use of the ballot-filling machines.

But many were absent from the voting centers during the primaries due to fear of the pandemic, which generated chaos and waits of several hours. And some have already warned that they will not be able to help in November either.  

A worker in Miami Beach, Florida, wears personal protective equipment while monitoring a mailbox in which voters deposit their ballots in advance, outside a voting center on August 7. The primaries will be on August 18, but Florida allows early voting. (AP Photo / Lynne Sladky) AP / AP

Most tend to be older or retired people who volunteer their services out of civic sense and because they have more free time. In 2018, nearly 60% were older than 60, and 27% were older than 70, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.

But that is precisely one of the groups most at risk of contagion.

Thus, civic groups want to convey a sense of urgency to the youngest, especially the university population, to cover their absence.

The Power to the Polls group, launched in June by a coalition of nonpartisan businesses and organizations, has managed to recruit 100,000 young people in the past two months, and its goal is to reach 250,000 by November.

Red alert zones on the border

The US electoral system is decentralized, so each state government and electoral jurisdiction can approve its own rules on matters such as the number and location of voting centers; the installation and type of urns; and opening and closing times of the centers.

Voter Protection Corps has developed an analysis tool so that authorities in Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin can identify critical areas for lack of workers and volunteers. 

Latinx Now brings you all the information about the importance of the Latino vote.

Several key states have "red alert" zones, in many cases with a high percentage of Latino voters, in which action is urgent, such as Texas, where 57 of the 254 counties are in this dire situation. Last month, in Dallas, nearly 200 voting centers closed due to understaffing. 

In Arizona, four of its 15 counties must begin "immediately" hiring workers, including those in Maricopa - which encompasses the capital Phoenix - Pima, Pinal and Mohave. 

In Florida, there are 20 counties in fin status, including Brevard, Orange, Oceola and Pinellas.

"This year is going to be very, very difficult, and that is why we are starting now, also speaking to the press in Spanish," Sutherland explains, "many students will take their courses online, but people here from the immigrant community in Pennsylvania are very excited "to participate.