Long before I became obsessed with politics, when I was in high school, I was afforded the opportunity to be a student poll worker. The requirements were quite simple--17 years old, a certain GPA, and an ok from my parents and my high school principal.

I remember how excited I was--and not just because being a poll worker meant a day off from school. I got to go downtown for training, and the day before election day, I went to sleep early because I had to be up at 5 A.M. When I woke up on Election Day, it was still dark outside as I bundled up and walked the block to the church which would serve as my Big Adventure for the next 15 hours or so.

I was struck when walked in by the fact that I was the youngest person in the room. Not surprising, given that the average age of a poll worker is 72. Younger campaign workers would stroll in a couple hours, but in those quiet hours before the polls opened, in a church basement in Chicago, it was one 17-year-old Catholic school girl in a room of cotton-haired women, anxious to teach me about the process.

And teach me they did. They slapped a Republican ID sticker on me (it felt like a scarlet letter, but I was told that there had to be an even split between Democrats and Republicans and I drew the unlucky straw). They showed me how to set up the voting booths. Where to place the voter's rights posters. How to verify that someone is registered to vote.

And when everything was set up, every neat stack of colored ballots in its place, every binder opened up to page 1 and every folder chair set up in a tidy line along the wall, we sat down, and waited.

Nearly a decade ago, the voters were not lining up to vote. Not like in 2004, when there was a line formed before our precinct even opened. Rather, democracy was a steady trickle of voters shuffling in from the rain. I saw my neighbors, my friend's parents, family and friends. And I saw as each took their ballot and stepped into their booth to vote. Some voted quickly, others took quite a while. And as I handed out "I voted!" receipts (it's always the glorious tasks that are dolled out to the young kids), I reflected on how individual the process really was. That it all came down to individual neighborhoods, individual precincts, and the individual whose legs peer out from the voting booth as they exercise their right to be heard.

I received a check for my day's worth of service--a paltry amount, to be sure, but the day's worth wasn't measured by the number of dollars but by the awesome experience of being a tiny cog in this grand machine of democracy.

Today's action item is signing up poll workers. Maybe you want to try it out. Or maybe your son or daughter is interested. It's a great way to get involved, not just because we need more poll workers, but because we need people who are skilled enough to deal with new voting technologies and new voting rules.

Here is some good information from the Election Assistance Commission:

What is a Poll Worker?

Poll Workers are the people who ensure the conduct of fair and accurate elections. They prepare the precinct by setting up voting equipment, greeting voters, verify registrations and providing voters with appropriate ballots. At the end of the day, Poll Workers close the precinct and prepare election materials for delivery or actually deliver the material to the Elections office. [...] What should I expect if I am a selected as a Poll Worker?

If selected as a Poll Worker you should expect to attend a training session that typically lasts a couple of hours. If you are not going to be working at your own polling place you should expect to request an absentee ballot. Plan to go to sleep early on Monday November 1st because typically you will have to be at the polls on Tuesday, November 2nd, before it opens (sometimes as early as 5:30 a.m.) and stay until after it closes (often after 7:00 p.m.).

Contact your local Secretary of State to determine deadlines for applications and other requirements. You can see a brief overview of requirements here (PDF).

Also, check out previous daily action posts here for ideas on how you can help get Democrats in the White House, and post what you did to get Democrats elected today below.