College of DuPage’s Poll Worker Project initiative welcomes professionals and students from area colleges and universities to the College Poll Worker Recruitment Summit. The summit aims to share trends, best practices, and recruitment strategies to improve overall poll worker participation rates by college students in the surrounding counties.
Event Information
Friday, April 11, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
College of DuPage
Turner Conference Center, Student Resource Room (SRC) 2000
No cost to attend
Registration deadline: Friday, March 28
Event Schedule
| Time | Session Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 to 9 a.m. | Sign In and Networking Breakfast |
|
| 9 to 9:15 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
|
| 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. | Keynote: The Role of College Students in Democracy | Keara Mendez, Director of Advocacy, Center for Tech and Civic Life |
| 10:15 to 10:30 a.m. | Break | Light refreshments and networking |
| 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. | Panel Discussion: Why College Students Make Great Poll Workers |
A panel featuring election officials, student leaders, and community organizers discuss the impact of students serving as poll workers Moderator: Keara Mendez |
| 11:15 a.m. to Noon | Roundtables: Overcoming Barriers to College Student Engagement | Small group discussions focused on common barriers (e.g., time, logistics, awareness) and how to address them |
| Noon to 1 p.m. | Lunch and Networking | Informal networking over lunch |
| 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. | Featured Speaker: Best Practices for Building Partnerships with Local Election Officials and Q&A |
Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Commissioner Ben Hovland |
| 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. | Panel Discussion: Student Storytelling: Real Experiences from Student Poll Workers |
Students share their experiences, challenges serving as poll workers and why they recommend the role to their peers. Moderator: Dr. Stephanie Quirk |
| 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. | Roundtables: Building Partnerships for Poll Worker Recruitment | Strategies for collaborating with student governments, faculty, and community organizations to build a sustainable recruitment pipeline |
| 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. | Action Plan Development: Next Steps for Campuses | Group activity to create specific, actionable plans for each campus or organization |
| 3:45 to 4 p.m. | Closing Remarks and Call to Action | Final thoughts, recap of key takeaways, and a call to action for students and campus leaders to take immediate steps toward poll worker recruitment |
Speakers
Keara Mendez
Keynote Speaker
Keara Mendez, Advocacy Director at the Center for Tech and Civic Life
Keara Mendez has a decade of experience in state, local, and federal advocacy related to election administration and appropriations. She currently serves as the Director of Advocacy at the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) and the Executive Director of the Project for Election Infrastructure (PEI) supporting local elections officials in securing the resources and support needed to safely and securely administer elections. Her team has successfully advocated for more than $500 million in state and federal funds for election administration since 2022. She has supported the launch of several successful projects including Democracy is Good for Business, the Civic Responsibility Project, and Election Hero Day, and served on multiple nonprofit boards in Colorado. She lives in Denver with her husband and Samoyed, Enzo.
Ben Hovland
Featured Speaker
Commissioner Ben Hovland, Chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Ben Hovland was confirmed by unanimous consent of the United States Senate on January 2, 2019 as a member of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and served as Chairman in 2020 and 2024. His leadership during an unprecedented time for election administration has helped transform the EAC to better support election officials and voters across the United States. In 2020, the EAC administered nearly $825 million in federal grant money and strategically pivoted resources to help election officials respond to the pandemic and enhance election security. Previously, he served as Acting Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and Deputy General Counsel for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office.
The COD Poll Worker Project and College Poll Worker Recruitment Summit is funded by the United States Election Assistance Commission’s Help America Vote College Program and the College of DuPage Office of Student Life.