Many states face a shortage of poll workers ahead of the November election due to the pandemic. In response, the Kline School of Law is offering pro bono credit to students who perform this vital public service on Election Day. This initiative is a collaboration with the Voter Project, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that is working with organizations throughout the commonwealth to ensure that all voters in Pennsylvania can vote.

Students who wish to receive pro bono credit for their work as poll workers must:

1. Sign up to be a poll worker.
2. File their project registration form with Rashida West, Kline’s director of pro bono and public interest programs, as soon as possible.
3. Track their hours using the student timesheet.
4. Donate their compensation to the Public Interest Experience Auction (details on this requirement are forthcoming). Because of school policies, all compensation received from poll working and related trainings must be donated to the Public Interest Experience Auction in order to receive pro bono credit. Students who do not wish to donate are still encouraged to volunteer as poll workers but cannot receive pro bono hours.

All students who are selected by their counties to be poll workers will receive training from experts at the Voter Project as well as their county. Poll workers will also be provided with personal protective equipment.

JD students at the Kline School of Law are required to perform a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service to graduate.

Photo Credit: Morning Brew