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County seeks Election Day poll workers By LIZ CIoCher
Kole Briehler in action for The Hun School’s Raiders football team as a junior in 2023.
Stanford-bound Briehler focuses on senior season for Hun football By RICh FIsher Kole Briehler only has to focus on football and academics during his senior year at the Hun School this school year. If that doesn’t sound like much, take into consideration what the Pennington resident had to go through before verbally committing to Stanford recently.
“People don’t understand how much there is with recruiting,” Briehler said. “Just getting calls every day, texts, stuff in the mail. You’ve got coaches telling you this, telling you that. It kind of just really stresses you out. I’m really happy I can just focus on football now.” That ability to focus did not come easy, but such is the price of talent.
Beginning last summer, coaches came courting and Briehler began a whirlwind tour around the country. His campus visits included Boston College, Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma and Stanford. Asked if he could do any sightseeing off-campus, he said: “Not really. You’d be surprised how See BRIEHLER, Page 34
As Mercer County gears up for this year’s elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, a pressing need has emerged for poll workers. Mercer County residents can help play a crucial role in the election process by volunteering to work at the polls on Election Day. “The biggest issue is that we want people to come out and vote, but if we don’t have the workers, how are they going to vote?” said Jill Moyer, Mercer County Board of Elections chairwoman. The number of poll workers is not only low in Mercer County—it’s a nation-wide problem. According to estimates from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, about one million poll workers are needed to staff approximately 100,000 polling places across the country this November. The prerequisites to become a poll worker include several hours of training prior to the date of the election to educate them on the process. This includes lessons on how to operate machinery, common voting procedures and verifying the voters as residents of the town where they are voting. Although the position of poll worker is a volunteer role,
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financial compensation is provided. Workers can earn $150 for a half-day shift or $300 for a full-day. Moyer attributes the low number of volunteers in part to changes introduced in Mercer County in August 2021, including updated voting technology. The new systems, which feature a paper backup, were implemented in response to public demand for greater security and reliability. However, the new technology has led to some reluctance among potential poll workers, particularly older individuals who may find the new systems intimidating. “I think that is one of the reasons we have lost quite a few workers, it can be intimidating,” Moyer said. The Board of Elections is particularly keen on attracting younger volunteers. Moyer noted that they are often more adept with technology, which could help mitigate the challenges posed by the new voting machines. “We’ve been sending letters to colleges to try and get their students to come on board. They seem to pick up the lingo and tech stuff easier,” she said. Mike Sherr, a Ewing Township resident and recent graduate of The College of New JerSee POLLS, Page 32
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