Wanted: 2 Million Poll Workers

(WASHINGTON) — A federal commission is working to recruit 2 million poll workers for the November election to help handle what could be a record turnout for the presidential election.

"We have seen historically high voter turnout during the primaries and continued high registration rates this year," Rosemary Rodriguez, chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, said Thursday.

"Election officials throughout the nation anticipate high voter turnout to continue in the general election," said Rodriguez, Denver's former clerk.

"Preparation for high turnout includes extra ballots and voting machines, but most important, we must have as many poll workers, including bilingual poll workers, as possible to prevent long lines."

A little more than 60 percent of U.S. citizens of voting age cast ballots in the last presidential election. Nearly 6 percent of polling places reported having too few workers in the 2004 election, the commission said.

The marathon fight for the Democratic presidential nomination helped increase voter turnout in this year's primaries. Democrat Barack Obama is expected to face Republican John McCain in the general election.

The election commission, which was created by the Help America Vote Act, is providing $1.65 million in grants to help colleges and nonprofit groups recruit students to serve as poll workers. Many poll workers are volunteers, though some are paid in some states.

The commission is in charge of developing guidance to help states meet the requirements of the federal law.