Local

Younger people step up to fill in for poll worker shortage

CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County Board of Elections officials said that before the pandemic, the average age of a poll worker was 72 years old.

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Leaders said 20% of their veteran poll workers declined to come back over COVID-19 health concerns, which means voters will likely see younger and more diverse poll workers on Election Day.

Josh Meloy is a college student who is also working at the Board of Elections.

“This election alone is causing a huge draw,” Meloy said.

In the video at the top of this webpage, reporter Anthony Kustura learns that college students could be the key to running polls smoothly.