The Board of County Commissioners issued a proclamation last Thursday and we had a nice time showcasing the efforts of the League of Women Voters (who pushed for the proclamation).
Beyond that, as an administrator, I'm not sure what the "day" really does except gives us a topic. Like a sales person with a new product, National Voter Registration Day gives us a new reason to promote voter participation.
Last night, the Lenexa Masonic Lodge hosted me and 5 of our staff members for dinner. I spoke briefly about National Voter Registration Day but also used that moment to recruit election workers.
The Lodge actually is part of our Adopt a Polling Place program, where members work and give their earnings as a fund-raiser to their organization. They are building college scholarship programs with the earnings.The program is such a win-win. We need election workers, and this is a very efficient fund-raising concept. The Good Shepherd Knights of Columbus has pretty much adopted two places with about a dozen members working.
I'm biased, but I think it sure beats working a concession stand at the Chiefs game, in dollars, patriotism, and workload (I said workload, not stressload). Plus, there's never Tuesday Night Football, which means election workers don't miss a key game by working.
One of the Best Practice Awards at the recent Election Center conference was a program with the this same theme, focused on getting companies to participate. The clever twist from that program was that the election office helped companies with an election of some sort (like the mock elections we do for kids, but with adults, asking them, for instance, their preference for a company promotion or advertisement). This got the adults engaged as potential workers. It's a concept we plan to---wait for it---adopt ourselves.
It was in Franklin County, Ohio. Here was their booth that presented the award:
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