FL County Officials Adopt Poll Worker Palm Card

The Advancement Project

Florida County Officials Adopt Poll Worker Palm Card

Election officials in Osceola County, Fla., recently decided to distribute Advancement Project’s palm card, “Top 10 Things Every Florida Poll Worker Should Know,” to all its poll workers in advance of Election Day.

The 5-by-7 inch card addresses some of the most common questions that arise for poll workers on Election Day as those workers guide voters through the voting process. The point of the palm card is to help poll workers follow state voting laws so that no voters are inadvertently disenfranchised.

Last month, Advancement Project announced that Duval County Florida approved the distribution of palm cards to its 3,500 poll workers, in time for the August primary and the November election.

Advancement Project first developed poll worker palm cards in a one-page format in 2006, to provide poll workers with guidance on problems commonly encountered on Election Day. With rapid changes in election laws and voting systems, poll workers can benefit from a palm card that assists them in responding to the slew of problems that occur on Election Day.

Poll workers often receive inadequate or ineffective training and preparation for elections. Also, the training may not sufficiently emphasize common problems or explain complex election laws, as confirmed by Advancement Project team members who have attended training sessions. Poll workers in some counties must rely on very lengthy manuals to answer their questions on Election Day, whereas poll workers in other counties are given only cursory materials.

Advancement Project is preparing palm cards in 20 states--including AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, LA, MD, MI, MO, MN, MS, NC, NV, OH, PA, SC, VA, WA and WI--to help poll workers and voters. Advancement Project will actively advocate for the use of these palm cards in all of these states.

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