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On National Poll Worker Recruitment Day this week, Philadelphia’s City Commissioners kicked off a monthslong series to honor the residents who keep the city’s elections running — and to recruit the next generation of election workers.

The opening event, held Tuesday at the Octavius V. Catto statue at City Hall, was the first in a 10-district series that will continue through October. Each gathering will recognize longtime poll workers, welcome student volunteers and offer information for those interested in joining before the Nov. 4 general election.

“Poll workers are the unsung heroes of our democracy,” said Omar Sabir, chairman of the Philadelphia City Commissioners. “These dedicated neighbors ensure that every voice, from every block across our city, can be heard. This citywide series is our way of saying thank you while building the team we need for future elections.”

The event also highlighted the work of civic partners, including the Committee of Seventy, whose president and CEO, Lauren Cristella, thanked the roughly 40,000 poll workers across Pennsylvania.

“We need people to step up and serve these very important roles,” she said, encouraging current poll workers to help in the recruitment effort. “We want your friends and neighbors to earn those paychecks, to serve on Election Day and to make sure our elections remain free, fair, safe and secure.”

Championing young voters

Tom Quinn, a Central High School teacher and co-founder of PA Youth Vote, praised the city’s efforts to engage young people.

“In Philly, young 18-year-olds are voting at a higher percentage than the city average,” he said, noting that more than 800 17-year-old students worked the polls last year. “They’re keeping democracy alive. It takes more than just voting — it takes getting out and doing something.”

Quinn further emphasized the critical role of organized outreach in getting more young people involved in voting and serving as poll workers.

“There’s this misconception that youth are apathetic, but a lot of times it’s the adults who are apathetic,” Quinn said. “If we actually make the effort to reach them, they turn out in higher numbers. They’re excited — it’s a new, novel experience.”

A key initiative in Philadelphia, the Voter Champion Program, has been central to this effort, according to Quinn. The program, now in its fifth year, pays teachers a stipend to coordinate peer-to-peer voter registration drives within high schools. Quinn said that when the program is fully funded, schools can achieve registration rates as high as 85% to 90% — far above the typical 15% turnout.

However, securing consistent funding remains a challenge.

“We frequently have to fight every other year to make sure the program gets funded,” Quinn said, pointing to the current state budget delay, which is already delaying funding for the program this year.

Engaging students before they leave high school is crucial, Quinn stressed, because statistics show that those who miss voting in their first eligible election often wait until their late 20s or 30s to start participating regularly, if they participate at all.

“If young people aren’t voting, the political system doesn’t work for them,” he said. “But if they do, it brings more resources to them and their communities.”

50+ years working at the polls

The day’s most poignant moment came when Vilma Ray Pratt was honored for more than 50 years of service as a poll worker. Pratt, who began in the early 1970s, said she still works every election.

“Voting is important. I tell young people all the time ‘Your vote counts. Do not let anybody tell you it doesn’t,’” she said.

When Ray Pratt first started working elections, Richard Nixon was president, ballots were tallied by hand and Philadelphia’s polling places were filled with clipboards and stacks of paper.

Even before she was old enough to vote, Ray Pratt began helping her mother, a committee woman in South Philadelphia’s Tasker Homes projects, one of Philadelphia’s earliest public housing projects, knock on doors and pass out political literature.

“I started as a door knocker,” she recalled. “I would go around with my mother, knocking on doors, passing out literature. Then I started working the polls with her, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Ray Pratt has worked every phase of Election Day: checking voters in, guiding them to machines and making sure ballots are cast securely. For her, the biggest satisfaction comes from ensuring that her team — especially her senior colleagues — has everything they need. This November, Ray Pratt will once again take her place in a South Philadelphia polling place.

She appeared surprised to be receiving a commendation before the more than 100 people assembled at the event.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I never thought this day would come. We do what we do just to serve our community and our city, and to be recognized today — I’m so happy.”

She has seen seismic changes in elections — from paper ballots to digital machines, from handwritten poll books to electronic voter rolls. Yet the core of the work remains the same.

“Voting is so important because it lets us have a voice in the world today,” she said. “Poll workers help their communities and their city to grow. They make sure we get the things we need in our area.”

Ray Pratt is also a champion for younger poll workers, recruiting high school students and new voters to join her on Election Day. And she’s seen the results: more young voters showing up at the polls.

“I love having the younger ones. I go out and get them. That’s how we keep democracy alive,” she said. “That’s how we keep democracy alive.”

For Ray Pratt, the work is as much about community pride as civic duty. She still lives in South Philadelphia, within blocks of where she grew up, and she plans to keep serving as long as she can.

“I did my part,” she told the crowd. “And I hope everybody does theirs.”

The series will continue at Satellite Election Offices across Philadelphia:

• Aug. 27 — 2nd Council District, 6200 Woodland Ave., 6–7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 3 — 1st Council District, 1835 S. Broad St., time TBD
• Sept. 9 — 3rd Council District, 4029 Market St., 6–7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 10 — 4th Council District, 5610 Lancaster Ave., time TBD

Additional dates for the remaining districts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Residents can learn more about becoming a poll worker at the events or by visiting vote.phila.gov. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 20, and mail ballot applications are due Oct. 28. Polls will be open on Election Day, Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“Whether you’ve been serving for decades or are considering becoming a poll worker for the first time, these events are designed to build community among the people who make our elections work,” Commissioner Seth Bluestein said. “We’re looking forward to celebrating our current poll workers in every district across the city and inviting new neighbors to join this essential service.”