Warren Slocum , Chief Elections Officer of San Mateo County announced that his office is sponsoring California ’s first Poll Worker Academy on Tuesday, August 17 th at Menlo College in Menlo Park.

“The November 2004 Presidential election will be the most watched election in American history. With observers from tech groups, partisan organizations, citizen activists and European observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , it is imperative that this election be done correctly. The Poll Worker Academy is an important component in this year’s election integrity plan,” Slocum said.

Two hundred election precinct inspectors will participate in the seven hour academic program which seeks to enrich their understanding of the newer requirements of elections. Slocum says he is proud of San Mateo County ’s outstanding poll workers and the difficult job they do on behalf of the voters on Election Day. “The Academy is an opportunity for us to share important election information with the people in charge of the polling places,” he said.

Carol Marks, Director of Communications and Special Programs for the Office of the Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and the project’s manager said, “There are many forces that have shaped elections in this county in the past couple of years. The idea behind the Poll Worker Academy is to share some of that information – specifically on the changing legal requirements of elections and the forces, like technology, that are shaping elections today.”

The day of learning begins with a panel discussion entitled “Including More Americans: Landmark Laws Changing Elections.” The distinguished panelists include: Phil Ting, Director of the Asian Law Caucus, Steve Reyes, Political Director for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and Dan Tokaji, Associate Law Professor from the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University . This hour long session will focus on some of the major requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act & the Help America Vote Act and how those laws impact election operations.

Other sessions include workshops on Election Integrity and Valuing Diversity. There is also a program segment on the future of voting in San Mateo County that will give participants a glimpse of possible future voting alternatives for the county.

The federal Election Assistance Commission has recommended that jurisdictions undertake this type of specialized education in order to broaden precinct workers’ knowledge and skills in dealing with voters and the myriad of questions asked. In addition, California ’s plan for the implementation of the Help America Vote Act has a precinct worker training recommendation/component.

Other speakers at the August 17 th event included Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Undersecretary of State Mark Kyle and members of the San Mateo County elections office.

“Poll workers are on the front lines of democracy from 7 a.m. when the polls open to 8 p.m. at night. They play a vital role in the democratic story and they are the guardians of the vote. How they manage the process, how they treat voters and how they make decisions is vitally important to election success. That is the reason this poll worker academy is such an important undertaking,” Slocum said.