Volunteer Opportunity: Poll Watching – General Election (November 8, 2022) 

Be a part of Advancing Justice | Chicago’s long-running poll watching program. Help protect democracy and language access at the polls!  

When: Tuesday, November 8, 2022  

Where: Polling places in Chicago, Suburban Cook County  

Volunteer poll watchers are dispatched to polling places on election day to monitor  for fair and equitable access to the polls.  No prior experience is needed. Volunteers will be trained on the legal requirements governing language and disability access, and will be equipped with the tools necessary to resolve a variety of potential election-day issues. 

 Note that this is an in-person volunteer opportunity. You will be asked to enter indoor voting locations where you will encounter poll workers and voters who are not required to wear masks. Please take this into consideration when deciding whether you would like to participate in our program.  

Volunteer Requirements:  

  • Poll watchers must be registered Illinois voters, pursuant to State law  
  • No prior experience necessary  
  • Legal and non-legal backgrounds welcome
  • Must be fully vaccinated
  • Basic English skills (limited English fluency is completely fine)
  • No language skills beyond English are required. However, background in any of the following languages are a plus: Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and Filipino/Tagalog.   

Time Commitment: Advancing Justice | Chicago values our volunteers. We do our best to accommodate our volunteers’ schedules.  In addition to volunteering on election day, new volunteers are expected to attend a 90-minute virtual training. Volunteers are also expected to travel to their assigned polling places. Transportation costs will be compensated.  

Deadline to sign-up is October 25

Sign Up To Volunteer  

Questions regarding Advancing Justice | Chicago’s Poll Monitoring Program can be directed to Kim Leung at kleung@advancingjustice-chicago.org  

 Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity. Learn more at advancingjustice-chicago.org