Poll workers can be hard to find. In Nebraska, election officials can draft them

OMAHA, Neb. — Joe Ricceri is busy preparing for the general election with the Douglas County Election Commission. Right now, he works at the customer service desk. But on Election Day, he’ll be a district supervisor.

Ricceri is currently a volunteer. But he didn’t start out as one. He was drafted.

He was actually drafted when his children were little, but deferred until they were old enough to drive themselves home from school.

“Then immediately, when the youngest was 16, [the county] contacted me. So, they were all over it. They did a good job there,” he said with a wry laugh.

Finding poll workers is a regular challenge for election officials. But Nebraska has a unique solution: It allows counties to draft workers to fill needs, like it’s jury duty.

The secretary of state’s office says it’s only aware of two Nebraska counties using a poll worker draft this election cycle: Omaha’s Douglas County and just south of it, Sarpy County.

In Douglas County, any registered voter is eligible and may receive a letter in the mail requiring them to serve. Even though it’s been used for years, Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse said many voters aren’t familiar with the draft and are skeptical when they receive the letter.

“I would say most voters in Douglas County, probably their reaction is, ‘Is this for real?’” Kruse said. “I mean, one of my best friends is the COO of a company here in Omaha, and one of his employees got [the letter], and he called me up, and he was like, ‘Is this for real?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘Can I get him out of it?’ And I said, ‘No.’”

Kruse laughed at the memory, but he’s not kidding. Voters here can’t get out of the draft unless they’re over 70 years old, don’t speak English, or they