The Remarkable Story Behind Covid-19 and the 2020 Election

Our 2020 elections highlighted the havoc Covid-19 has wreaked on senior citizens. Despite their importance in all aspects of elections, senior citizens’ needs have been discounted during the pandemic generally as well as in the 2020 election enhancements.

For decades seniors have been the backbone of our U.S. election system. Each year the age group with the highest turnout percentage has been seniors, defined as those 60 years of age or older. More than 50% of registered seniors vote every election cycle. In presidential election years, 65% or more voted. With a pandemic raging in a presidential election year, everyone wondered how the coronavirus would impact turnout. Changes in many states’ voting guidelines (e.g., more early voting days and more liberal absentee voting parameters) gave society’s most vulnerable population more opportunities to vote safely. However, modifying voting options addressed only part of the senior election dilemma.

An oft-overlooked election role played by seniors is poll worker, i.e., election worker, election judge or poll watcher. In 2018, more than half (58%) of all poll workers were over 60 years old. Another 26% were between 41 and 60 years of age. An astonishing 84% of all 2018 poll workers were 41 or older.

Older People Account for Large Shares of Poll Workers and Voters in U.S. General Elections, FacTank News in the Numbers, April 8, 2020.

Covid-19 threatened our 2020 election system. Many seniors feared they could not perform their election duties safely, so did not volunteer to work the polls. This left a huge gap in our election framework. What happened next is amazing. Several Gen Z groups organized to fill the void, ensuring our election polls were properly manned despite the expected absence of concerned seniors. Power the Polls sought to sign up 250,000 healthy, low-risk Americans to work the polls. A week before Election Day, the group had signed 700,000 workers. More than half were under 40 years old. (By comparison, more than 910,000 poll workers worked the precincts nationwide in 2016.)

Another program founded by high school and college students, Poll Hero, recruited 30,000 young poll workers nationwide. This enthusiasm to pitch in was reflected in the election, resulting in a record number of young people casting ballots for the presidency. 1

In the crazy year 2020, a silver lining has emerged: the humanity and boldness of Gen Z to act, not in their own interest, but in the interest of their country and vulnerable fellow Americans. This gives us hope for a brighter future and helps us appreciate 2020 for the positive outcomes produced.

1 High Schoolers Nationwide are Volunteering to Staff Voting Stations, Washington Post, November 3, 2020.