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Becoming a poll worker is a key component in citizen engagement in our democracy. When others question the integrity of our elections, it is poll workers who largely debunk that idea for those who believe what they see. Regular Americans, known to their neighbors, are the on-site workers who maintain that integrity and always have.
Being a poll worker is a function overseen state-by-state. There are rules for each state and the easiest access to becoming a poll worker in any of the United States is found at the website of the United States Election Assistance Commission, a US federal office and clearinghouse for poll worker information from all states.[1]
They note that:
Most jurisdictions task election workers with setting up and preparing the polling location, welcoming voters, verifying voter registrations, and issuing ballots. Poll workers also help ensure voters understand the voting process by demonstrating how to use voting equipment and explaining voting procedures.
States pay a modest stipend to poll workers, and that varies widely from state-to-state. In general, in polls that include party identification, poll workers enjoy a higher degree of trustworthiness than the elected officials who govern them and whose elections they oversee. In recent years, thanks to the machinations of Donald Trump, Republicans' trust is somewhat eroded, but even Republican citizens overwhelmingly trust poll workers. It is nearly universal in the 50 states that this is one of the few methods of participating in democracy that requires one to be a registered voter.
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