2022 - Winner for Best Practices in Recruiting, Retaining, and Training Poll Workers

Partnerships at the Polls encompasses two programs intended to assist the Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration in recruiting and retaining poll workers: Adopt a Polling Location and Day for Democracy. Through Adopt a Polling Location, BEVR partners with local organizations who "adopt" polling locations on Election Day by having their teams service as election workers. Organizations can then use the funds earned from their work to support a local nonprofit, enabling us to staff polling locations with professional workers while supporting our community. Day for Democracy is a program offering Charleston County employees the opportunity to serve as election workers without using their paid time off, building relationships among our workforce and highlighting our dedication to public service. Partnerships at the Polls gives our voters reliably staffed polling locations while allowing us to reinvest in our community, reduce administrative burden, and minimize time and effort spent recruiting and retaining poll workers through traditional methods. In our inaugural year, $9,800 was raised for local nonprofits and 95% of participants stated that they enjoyed being a part of Partnerships at the Polls.