State seeking more poll workers for Election Day, reaching out to businesses and nonprofits

AMICA MUTUAL Insurance Chairman, President and CEO Robert A. DiMuccio is giving interested employees a paid day off to work the Election Day polls in response to a request for help from Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
AMICA MUTUAL Insurance Chairman, President and CEO Robert A. DiMuccio is giving interested employees a paid day off to work the Election Day polls in response to a request for help from Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – In an effort to recruit more poll workers for Election Day, R.I. Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea is asking businesses and nonprofits to help out.
“I’ve been hearing for a number of election cycles local Board of Elections have had difficulty recruiting people for the polls,” Gorbea said. “For the general public there’s always this impression that [the polls are] all set. The political parties, or someone local, has already recruited the people they need, so they don’t need anyone else. It couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Since the primary election, Gorbea says she’s taken a more active role in recruiting poll workers to help reach the statewide target of 5,000. As part of that effort, she’s reached out to several private and nonprofit organizations, asking employers to give employees the day off to work the polls.
The response thus far has been mixed. Gorbea says she’s actively in discussions with about a dozen entities. But Amica Mutual Insurance Co. has already jumped at the opportunity.
“When the secretary called, I don’t think Bob really had to think very long at all,” said Vince Burks, Amica communications director, referring to Robert “Bob” A. DiMuccio, chairman, president and CEO of Amica.
To accommodate, the Lincoln-based insurer is giving interested employees a paid day off to work the polls without having to sacrifice a personal day or sick day. Six people so far have volunteered, according to Burks, but he says there’s still more time to sign up.
Rhode Island poll workers are also compensated by local election boards, meaning Amica employees will be paid twice for the effort. When asked how many more poll workers she expects will materialize out of this effort, Gorbea wasn’t sure, but views the outreach as a pilot program, which she hopes to scale before the next election.
“It’s creating a new opportunity for people to do something they’ve never done before,” Gorbea said. “They’re also excited about it because they are at ground zero and they get a sense of what’s happening in a very important election.”
On the topic of this election, safety concerns have been raised throughout the country after various reports of election-related violence, including last weekend when the Republican Party headquarters in North Carolina was firebombed. When asked about safety training in Rhode Island, Gorbea said she plans to invite election stakeholders, including political party heads, to an “elections integrity” meeting next week to discuss various contingencies about how Election Day should be handled. But she’s not too concerned about safety.
“We’ve had heated elections before,” Gorbea said. “I know our local officials are really on top of this.”

No posts to display