Become a Seventy Volunteer
Seventy’s volunteers spend Election Day visiting the polls and providing support for voters and election officers. The goal of the Voter Protection Program is to help solve issues that could prevent registered voters from voting and to collect data to improve future elections. It's a great (nonpartisan) way to be right in the thick of the action.
Voter Protection Program Overview
It was more than 100 years ago, in 1905, when we sent our first nonpartisan volunteers to polling places to help ensure fair and free elections. The oldest election protection program in America is still going strong. Safeguarding elections is why we were founded, and we have done it at every election since.
Field Volunteers
Field volunteers are the core of the Committee of Seventy’s Election Day program. Field volunteers work in groups of two or three in neighborhoods throughout the city. They spend a shift traveling to different polling places, checking up that everybody at the polling place is following the proper procedures, answering voters’ questions, and reporting incidents and ongoing problems back to the Committee of Seventy.
Hotline Volunteers
Hotline volunteers work in Seventy's office on Election Day, answering calls from voters, poll officials and Seventy Volunteers. Hotline volunteers staff the 866-OUR-VOTE election protection hotline and help voters find their polling places, give basic assistance with Election Day rules, direct problems to the correct authorities and document problems that will be responded to by field teams.
Registration
Volunteer registration for the April 24 Pennsylvania Primary will begin online on this page in February, 2011.
Trainings
All new volunteers must attend an in-person training. We have trainings scheduled at the Committee of Seventy headquarters in Center City, 8 Penn Center, 1628 JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19103 and other satellite locations throughout Philadelphia.
Assignments
The Committee of Seventy staff will assign you a shift, partner and a set of polling places to visit at your volunteer training. Our online registration form will ask you to indicate your preferences for shift time, location, and partner(s). Please indicate if you would like to volunteer on foot, bike, or car, and if you are willing to work multiple shifts.
Questions
Please direct all questions and inquiries to Seventy staff members Luke McKinstry at lmckinstry@seventy.org or 215-557-3600 and Robert Biron at rbiron@seventy.org or 215-557-3600, ext. 110.