Don't Dismiss Digital Immigrants: Poll Workers and New Election Technologies

Abstract

In recent years, many election offices around the country have adopted electronic polling place materials such as electronic pollbooks, replacing their older equipment and procedures. At the same time, many poll workers are senior citizens with limited experience with electronic devices. Unlike younger digital natives who have grown up in an electronic age, these digital immigrants are generally portrayed as having less comfort or proficiency with technology and the internet. Poll worker training seeks to increase comfort and ability to use these new materials. In this project we explore two related questions: 1) are older poll workers less able to accurately use these new election tools compared to younger poll workers, and 2) to what degree do individual poll worker perceptions of comfort and proficiency with these new tools correlate with actual effectiveness during elections. Using a unique data set including pre–training and post–training surveys of poll workers, two focus groups, and data from the local registrar we conclude that younger poll workers are not necessarily better suited to new voting technologies.