Poll Workers Wanted: Most Who Show Up Have Never Done It Before | Jason Snead

[00:00:00] Jason Snead is back with me today. He's with the Honest Election Project. We've been doing poll worker training with him around the country, and we're going to be discussing our upcoming training in Wisconsin, along with how you can help get out the vote. I'm Jenny Beth Martin, and this is The Jenny Beth Show.

[00:00:30] Welcome to The Jenny Beth Show. Before we get to the guest, I want to just go ahead and remind you of your call to action for this week. And it is to go to IWillSaveAmerica.com. We have 10 things you can do to help make a difference this election cycle. Two of the things are poll worker, to volunteer to be a poll worker, or a poll watcher. And we'll be talking about that more with our guest Jason Snead.

[00:00:58] Other things that you can do include registering people to vote. Now, in some parts of the country, voter registration deadlines happen sooner than other parts. What I mean is that every single state has its own voter registration deadline. So for instance, in Georgia, the deadline is a month before voting begins.

[00:01:19] So it's going to be much earlier of an earlier voter registration deadline than in other parts of the country, like say Wisconsin, where they allow same day voter registration. And honestly, we probably need to fix that same day voter registration. But since it is what it is, we work with the system and then we continue trying to fix it legislatively when the time is right to do that.

[00:01:42] So you can help register to vote. You also can write notes, handwrite notes to voters with postcards that we've pre-addressed for you talking about the importance of getting out the vote. We are going to be sending those postcards to various voters around the country. And we encourage you to volunteer to do that. If you've never volunteered to get out the vote before, honestly, it's probably the easiest option that we have listed.

[00:02:11] We'll send you a packet of cards. You write your note on the card. We give you some guidance for the kind of note and what the messaging should be about. You tell the voter why it's so important to go vote. And then you put a stamp on it and you mail it to the voter. And if you can't do stamps, we will have paid postage for some people if you can't pay for your own postage.

[00:02:36] But the point is, we're trying to get those voters to have a personalized message about the importance of this election and why it's so very important that we are supporting candidates who stand for common sense values and not some of the crazy communist things we are hearing from the left side of the aisle. There are other things that you can do to get out the vote. It includes making phone calls to voters, texting your friends and family, and also going door to door.

[00:03:05] In addition to that, we encourage you to sign up for a local campaign. And it can be a school board race, a county commission or a city council race, a state legislative seat or Congress or Senate. Any governor, lieutenant, it can be any race. But the point is, all of these races need volunteers.

[00:03:27] So find some candidates or even just one candidate you really support locally and go sign up and volunteer to help them. They may ask you to wave signs or put signs out. They may ask you to go door to door. They will have something that you can do and you can really make a difference in their campaign. So we encourage you to get involved locally with a campaign of your choice. Also, candidates always need funding. So one of the options that you can select is to donate to candidates.

[00:03:58] And we will be letting you know the people who we've endorsed and the candidates we would recommend that you support. But also, you can donate to the candidates you support locally. We just want to make sure that we're reminding you to donate to campaigns because the campaigns do indeed need funding. And one of the last things that you can do is recruit other people. Find five, six, seven, ten friends. Share the website.

[00:04:26] Iwillsaveamerica.com with them and make sure they also sign up to get involved. We're going to have very close elections this fall. Some of them can be decided by just a few hundred or even less votes. And when you get involved in this level and help us make sure we are getting everyone out to the polls, that volunteer engagement can make all the difference. It can change the direction of our country.

[00:04:52] So make sure you're signing up so that we can do all we can to save our great country that we love so much. Our first guest today is Jason Sneed. He is with the Honest Elections Project. And Tea Party Patriots Action has been working with Honest Elections Project on poll worker training in various states around the country. A couple of the states are Georgia and also in Nevada. We're going to be in Wisconsin in the coming weeks, and we're going to be talking about that with Jason.

[00:05:20] So let's go to him, learn what all has happened, what's coming up next, and how you can help with this very important function, which is poll working. Jason Sneed, thank you so much for joining me today. It's great to be with you, Jenny Beth. So we've done several of these trainings for poll worker, Georgia, Nevada. You've also been in, where else have you been? Well, we've been to Texas.

[00:05:45] We've been to Ohio, Georgia, Nevada, and upcoming is Wisconsin. So we're really doing kind of a tour across the country of places where there are going to be consequentially elections. People are going to want to make sure that they're being conducted according to the law. And that's why I think it's so important that we get conservatives as poll workers and poll watchers to make sure that those laws are being followed and that the election is being conducted in a way that will deliver maximum transparency for the voters.

[00:06:15] I'm going to talk about the Wisconsin training in a minute. Let's talk first about how the trainings have been going. So who all have you had speak at the events and kind of just give an overview of what people will expect if they sign up in Wisconsin based on what's already happened? Well, we've had a really fantastic event series so far this year. This is actually the third election cycle that our coalition has gone around the country doing these events.

[00:06:44] And I guess I'm first very grateful to all of those partners, including Tea Party Patriots, Heritage Action, Turning Point, and so many other organizations that have been really making these events just absolute successes. When folks come to these events, you know, the first thing that people like to know is that we feed them. So if you come to one of these two events in Wisconsin, you will get a free meal along with the training to serve as poll workers and poll watchers.

[00:07:12] And we also feature panels of some of the nation's leading election integrity experts and give opportunities to hear about the current state of play on everything from the SAVE Act in the Senate to the election integrity debate in your state. And we also feature locally elected officials. So we've had some of the true leaders at the state level in each of the places that we have gone so far.

[00:07:35] We had Senator Brian Hughes in Texas, who is sort of the Sherpa for all election related bills down there in a critically important state. We had the Secretary of State of Ohio join us for one of the events when we were in the Columbus area a few weeks ago. And we had a couple of lawmakers down in Georgia who are handling not only the acquisition of voting equipment in the state of Georgia, but are also pushing forward really common sense and critical bills on, for instance, getting foreign money out of Georgia politics.

[00:08:04] So we've got a lot of really good leaders. And if you come to the events in Wisconsin, we've already got a few legislators lined up for that event as well. And in Georgia, I think you had Congressman Rick McCormick show up. That's right. We did. And he gave a really fantastic set of remarks, really got the crowd animated and motivated.

[00:08:26] And one of the interesting things that I've really noticed this year is that when we do get people attending these events and we ask the question, you know, have you ever served as a poll worker or a poll watcher before? There aren't that many hands up. And so it's really, really interesting to see that you've got not only people who are committed election integrity activists, you know, people that are are really motivated to protect the process, but there are also people that haven't served as poll workers or poll watchers before.

[00:08:55] And I think it's great because we really need to be recruiting new folks to fill those critical roles, especially if you believe that we need to have more, you know, for instance, in person voting on Election Day. It takes a lot of people to open polling places. It takes a lot of people to man those facilities to make sure that the machinery of the election actually goes off according to plan. And so I think it's fantastic that we've got not only conservative grassroots that are really fired up about election integrity,

[00:09:22] but also a lot of people who are going on to sign up to be hopefully first time poll workers. And Jason, I think that that's really important what you're talking about with it being people's first time. This is something you can do if you've never done it before. Being a poll worker doesn't require having had lots of experience doing it. What it requires is a desire to make sure that elections are run properly and that you're going to follow the laws to ensure that that happens. Well, that's 100 percent right.

[00:09:51] And what we try to do at these trainings is give you a flavor for what it's going to be like when you're actually in the polling place, either as a worker or a watcher. We want to show you what the laws of your state require, how the process is supposed to go, what the the hours look like. And these are long days, but they're very rewarding days. And when I talk to people that have done this before, many of them come back and do it again and again because they understand that it is an act of service and that it is an important one at that.

[00:10:21] So you don't ever have to have done the job of working a poll or observing an election before to do this for the first time. And what we do is we try to give you, again, that that insider take on what it actually looks like and then get you plugged into the resources to actually get placed as a poll worker. So that then you can go and help us have a successful election this November. And what does it look like? What are the hours like?

[00:10:49] Well, the hours vary by by state, but it is generally speaking a long day. Some states break it up into shifts. Others require you to be there all day from 5 a.m. until the job is done. So it can be long hours. There's no question about that. And I think that it's something that that when you do it, you really have to be committed.

[00:11:10] And that is something that our grassroots conservatives have in spades is commitment, commitment to making sure that we have an honest election, a fair election, an election that that follows the rules. And one thing that I always caution people if they are considering signing up as a poll worker is that your job is not to catch fraud or stop fraud. Your job is to follow the rules and to make sure that the election is run according to the law.

[00:11:35] And simply by doing that, simply by being present in those polling locations, you're going to make fraud less likely. You're going to make it less likely that other people who are working the polls are going to cut corners, which is one of the big problems that we see election after election. It's not just fraud that we have to be worried about. It's also just people who are kind of being blasé with the way that an election is supposed to run. So you can have a big impact by being there. It is a long day. But again, it's a rewarding one.

[00:12:03] And it's an act of real service to make sure that we have elections we can trust. Yeah, I often think of it this way. A simple example of the kind of things that you could stop are just things that it's just ensuring the laws properly followed. If you're sitting there next to a person and that person's next to a neighbor walks in and her name is Sally Smith or something, and she's like, Sally, how are you?

[00:12:32] It's so good to see you. How are the kids and the grandkids? Your cat was in my yard yesterday, whatever it might be. And then she starts processing it but forgets to get the voter ID because she knows Sally. She doesn't even need it because she knows Sally. You can just go, hey, don't forget to get the voter ID. You've got to get it because that is the law. And that's one of the things. It's a simple little example that is fairly innocuous.

[00:12:59] But that's the kind of thing a poll worker can just like, hey, make sure you get the ID. Let's make sure we're all following the law here. If you're watching and you see it happen, you know they know each other. It's not fake. But they didn't follow the law. So you'd have to leave the building, go make a phone call, call and let someone know that the law hasn't been followed properly. And it just it's much more complicated to resolve issues.

[00:13:29] But if you're there and you're the worker, you're able to talk and communicate and remind people what what they're supposed to do. Or you can be reminded of what you're supposed to do. And then everything runs the way it's supposed to. Yeah. That's 100 percent right. And one other thing that I would point out is that in essentially every state, there are requirements that you have bipartisan or are multi-partisan teams of people that are in those facilities that are handling ballots.

[00:13:57] And that is crucial as well, because I think that whether you're on the left or the right, if you've only got people from the Republican or the Democratic Party handling ballots, you're probably going to raise an eyebrow if anybody says that maybe there was something untoward that went on in that election. So that's why we have those teams. It's about making sure that you've got two people from different camps and they're agreeing on how to proceed.

[00:14:19] And what we often see, particularly in those densely populated blue areas, is there are not a lot of conservatives who are stepping up to be poll workers. And that causes some real recruitment problems. That makes it even more critical. And a lot of the places that we're going are right where those critical needs really are. Those blueberries in the tomato soup, if you will, those blue areas surrounded by red places.

[00:14:46] So what we've really got is an urgency and we've got a committed grassroots base. And the other thing that I like about this is that when we get out there and we do these events and we actually have the opportunity to meet with folks on the ground, I'm just very heartened to know that there is a true committed grassroots enthusiasm for preserving election integrity. This wasn't a one and done issue. This has become part of the platform of being a conservative.

[00:15:11] And I think that means so much for the future because we know the left is not going to stop in their efforts to try to level down on election integrity. And I think that the right is more than meeting the moment. Yes, I think that that's exactly right. And I always encourage people, especially when we're talking about poll watching and poll working, if you're if you're watching this right now and you're a Democrat, go sign up to be a poll worker. Sign up to be a poll watcher. It's that important.

[00:15:37] I want everyone at the end of the election to trust the outcome of the election, no matter who wins. And then we worry about who who wins and all of that. But we have to as Americans want to be able to trust the outcome no matter who wins. That's 100 percent correct. You know, we are often taught, you know, if you go back to high school civics, right, that that democracy depends on the consent of the governed.

[00:16:02] But the caveat is that it also depends on the consent of the losers. And you have to have an election that follows the law. You have to have an election that is secure so that when you lose, you know, you lost fair and square and you want to come back and you want to have another, you know, essentially another rematch in the next election.

[00:16:22] If you can't convince the losers that they lost fair and square because you're changing the rules or because you've taken away basic safeguards and, you know, you allow fraud to occur. Well, then all you're doing is basically saying that people have no confidence in the system and we don't really care. And that's going to lead to a really bad downward spiral where people are just going to stop voting. So that's why I agree with you 100 percent.

[00:16:45] Whether you're on the left or the right, I want you to have confidence in the outcome of the election so that you keep coming back and you keep voting in future elections. And Jason, we're going to be in Wisconsin soon. So tell everyone what's going to be happening. Where are we going? Do you have any special guest speakers lined up yet? So we're going to be coming to Wisconsin October 2nd and October 3rd. So that's just a couple of weeks away at this point. On October 2nd, we're going to be up in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

[00:17:15] And on October 3rd, we're going to be in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Those are going to be some two fantastic events. You can find out more. There's an Eventbrite link that I'm sure we'll be able to circulate for your listeners and for your watchers. But you can check out HEPAction7.eventbrite.com to find out information about the events up in Wisconsin. And you can sign up to participate. And again, there will be a meal.

[00:17:45] We'll be serving dinner at those two events. So it's going to be a great opportunity to get a good meal and a good training on how to be a poll watcher up in Wisconsin. We do have some invites that are out to elected officials, members of the Wisconsin legislature, that have been real champions for election integrity. And we're going to be getting some hopefully some confirmed speakers here very shortly. I know how that goes. Sometimes it takes until right before an event to get those speakers confirmed.

[00:18:13] We are linking to these, as we have with the other events, on our website, helpatthepolls.com. So if you didn't get that HEPAction7.eventbrite.com, just go to helpatthepolls.com. And we've got a link so you can sign up there if you're in Wisconsin. And then, Jason, you mentioned Turning Point Action and, of course, your organization, Honest Elections Project, Heritage Action.

[00:18:40] And then other groups who are coalition partners include the American Constitutional Rights Union, Lori Roman's group, and also Lieutenant Colonel Allen West's organization. And then Save Our States. And then in Wisconsin, you've got the McIver Impact, which is also one of the groups helping there. I just want to make sure we're naming all of the coalition partners. That's right.

[00:19:07] This is the problem as the lists get longer and longer. And you only mention a couple. You leave some off. But, yeah, that's our coalition. So it's going to be, I think, another great couple of events. We'll have some good speakers. We'll have great content. And I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to engage again with the conservative grassroots up in Wisconsin. We've actually done events in Wisconsin in the last couple of election cycles.

[00:19:35] And so I know folks are really fired up there and really passionate about this. And let me tell you, Wisconsin is a really fascinating state because, you know, obviously these are nonpartisan events. But elections do have consequences. And Wisconsin is one of the states that I'm watching very closely to see because the outcome, and I say this as a resident of Virginia, if the left takes Hofer in the next year, could be very bad for election integrity.

[00:20:01] And I'm sure we'll be talking about some of the things that Wisconsin stands to lose if the left gets the opportunity to unwind the safeguards that they already have up there. So there's a lot on the line. And I think that the best thing to do and the most urgent thing to do as we go into the November election is to come to this event and then learn how to get signed up as a poll observer in Wisconsin and learn about being poll watcher in future election cycles up there as well. Very good. Well, Jason Sneed, thank you so much for joining me today.

[00:20:31] And remember, I'm going to let you reply to that, but you can go to help at the polls dot com to sign up for the Wisconsin event. And then, Jason, tell people how they can get more information about your organization and to follow you on social media. Well, you can follow me on X at Jason W Sneed. You can also follow at Honest Elections Project and you'll get all the latest news about our organization. And you can check out HEPAction dot org for more information there as well, including about these these events.

[00:21:00] And again, you know, Jenny, Beth, thank you for coming alongside and working with us and doing so much beyond even just these events to help recruit and get people trained and plugged in as poll workers across the country. I think that's one of the most impactful things that our organizations are able to do in election cycles like this one. And it just it does so much to build confidence and to build credibility for elections and to keep them transparent and keep them honest and keep people engaged in the broader fight for election integrity.

[00:21:31] Thank you, Jason. Thank you. If you enjoyed today's conversation, go ahead and hit like and subscribe. It really helps us reach more people who care about liberty and the Constitution. You can find this and other episodes at JennyBethShow.com, as well as Facebook, YouTube, Rumble, Instagram, X and your favorite podcast platform. The Jenny Beth Show is hosted by Jenny Beth Martin. The Jenny Beth Show is a production of Tea Party Patriots Action.

[00:22:00] For more information, visit TeaPartyPatriots.org.