Abstract
Drawing on theories of principal-agency and street-level bureaucracy, we fashion and test different explanations for the recruitment and retention of poll workers. Our explanations focuses on the training poll workers receive, their experiences at the polls and interactions with other poll workers. Prior experience working the polls shaped by poll worker training and successful collaborations with other poll workers positively affects a person’s willingness to work the polls. These effects match the effect of age and prior work at the polls in explaining workers willingness to continuing working the polls. Moreover, we find those persons who worked the polls in 2020 continue to have a strong positive attitude about working the polls. Our findings identify efficacious steps local election officials can take to recruit and retain persons to work the polls in future elections.