Statistics
Election Poll Worker Statistics (2026): Who Serves, Recruitment Strain, Pay & State Rules
VolunteerBadge Team·October 19, 2026·9 min read
Poll worker statistics for 2026: about 772,000 served in 2024, most are 61 or older, 48% of jurisdictions struggle to recruit, plus state pay and eligibility rules.
Every election depends on people who check in voters, verify identities, issue ballots, and close out polling places. This report pulls together the most recent federal and state figures on who serves as a poll worker, how hard jurisdictions are finding them, what they are paid, and which eligibility rules apply. It is part of our election and volunteer statistics hub, and it is written for nonprofit and faith leaders who want to understand the volunteer pipeline behind a well-run election.
Methodology and honesty note. Every figure below was taken from a published government, university, or established research source that we located through search, and each one is linked inline. Where sources disagree or use different definitions (for example, age cutoffs that change from one survey to the next), we say so. We did not estimate or fill gaps. Where a number is an official estimate or a target
