Commentary: For our returning citizens, poll workers can make all the difference

Nearly six years ago, Florida voters went to the polls and overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights for millions of Floridians with past convictions. This historic achievement marked the single largest expansion of voting rights in our nation in half a century.

Since then, at the organization I lead — the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition— we have been working with our partners across the state to help as many of these returning citizens as possible regain their voice in our democracy. Despite numerous obstacles, including the state struggling to provide information to returning citizens about when their rights have been restored, we’re proud to have helped tens of thousands of these individuals vote over the last several years.

As a returning citizen myself, it’s been inspiring to see the progress we’ve made in empowering and engaging so many of our fellow Floridians. But I’ve also seen how ongoing uncertainty, coupled with the state’s highly publicized 2022 campaign to prosecute returning citizens for voting, has led to widespread fear about voting among returning citizens. These citizens — our friends and neighbors — don’t just deserve to have their rights restored in theory, they deserve the opportunity to participate fully and confidently in our elections.

As we seek to ensure that the promise of Amendment 4 is fulfilled by every one of Florida’s 1.4 million returning citizens, one essential piece of the puzzle is having trained, informed, compassionate poll workers who are ready to support returning citizens and ensure they feel comfortable at the ballot box. Whether you’re in Florida or in another state, if you want to help make democracy real for the people in your community, there’s no better way than signing up now to be a poll worker for this year’s elections.

Each election cycle, hundreds of thousands of Americans vote either for the first time ever or — in the case of some returning citizens — for the first time in many years. For these voters, there’s usually a lot of excitement, but also sometimes a feeling of anxiety or uncertainty. For voters casting their ballots in person, poll workers are the ones we rely on to help make voting a smooth and enjoyable experience. They welcome voters to the polling place, get us checked in and provide the information we need to complete the voting process with confidence.

Poll workers exemplify a commitment to democracy and to serving our communities and neighbors. That’s why I’m proud to serve on the advisory council for Power the Polls, the leading nonpartisan poll worker recruitment initiative. Experts estimate that we will need about 1 million poll workers to ensure this year’s elections run smoothly. And though we’ve made a lot of progress toward this goal, there are still jurisdictions around the country — including several in Florida — that urgently need more people to sign up.

While poll workers will play an essential role in helping all voters take part in our elections this year, we know the unique logistical and legal dynamics involved for returning citizens mean these voters may need additional support and guidance. That’s why, at FRRC, we’re also training teams of returning citizens and attorneys to advise and assure potential voters of their rights at polling locations throughout Florida. These poll monitors will be tasked with identifying obstacles to voting by offering themselves as a resource to voters experiencing issues and reporting these issues to a team of election law experts, who will, in turn, assist voters in real-time.

We were thrilled to have 50 returning citizens serve on these poll monitor teams during Florida’s primary election in August, and we look forward to having even more take part in the program during the general election. The stories of these fellow returning citizens are inspiring — people who could not vote six years ago are now engaging in the election process as poll workers.

While the election is just around the corner (in fact, ballots have already been mailed in some states), there is still time to sign up to be a poll worker, and returning citizens in Florida and across the country are counting on us to step up. Together, we can ensure that all voters — no matter who they are, where they come from, or when they last cast a ballot — can play their full and equal part in our democracy.

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Desmond Meade is the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and serves on the Power the Polls Advisory Council.

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