poll worker

American  

[pohl wur-ker] / ˈpoʊl ˌwɜr kər /

noun

1. a person who volunteers and is officially appointed or trained by a local board of elections to facilitate and oversee elections, including checking in voters, issuing and collecting ballots, and explaining and monitoring the polling equipment.

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Etymology

Origin of poll worker

First recorded in 1905–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

poll worker

The social worker, who mainly goes by her first name, reckons that a poll worker might have added the honorific to her name in the past.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Be ready to volunteer as a poll worker.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

If there is a line when the polls close, a poll worker stands at the back of the line to let people who arrive after 8 p.m. know that the polls have closed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

"Let us see if we get any money, our hopes are low," a poll worker in Noida, who didn't want to be named, said.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025

The new contest had been called after a poll worker allegedly made a mistake in telling voters that one of the four candidates had died, which could have swung a race decided by eight votes.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2023

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