Americans are encouraged to do their duty and vote on Election Day. But in Nebraska, some residents must go a step further: They are required to help run the elections.
Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. that employs compulsory election duty to recruit precinct poll workers, election office helpers and ballot deliverers, among other tasks, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Anyone who ignores a summons could be charged with a criminal misdemeanor and fined up to $100.
So far, only Douglas and Sarpy counties use the draft. That’s because with nearly 500,000 of the state’s 1.25 million registered voters in those two counties, they need thousands of workers to help at hundreds of polling places. For the upcoming election, Douglas will employ about 3,000 election workers, 45% of whom are drafted.
State law allows exemptions for anyone 70 or older, those with documented health issues or other reasons deemed acceptable. It also allows those with young children to defer service until the children are older.
The only other way to get out of election duty is to remove yourself from the registered voter list- which many residents are not willing to do.