The EAC is awarding a total of $750,000 in grants for programs that encourage college students to serve as poll workers. The program will award roughly 15 to 25 grants of at least $40,000 for new grantess and $10,000 for recompeting grantees.

Frequently Asked Questions on the College Poll Worker Grant Program New

How and When to Apply
Grant applications must be mailed or hand delivered to the EAC. Applications are due before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 16, 2009. For additional application information and instructions, read the official federal grant notice.

Contact Information
Questions regarding the grants can be directed to Mark Abbott or Julie Ruder by calling (866) 747-1471 toll-free or sending an e-mail to HAVACollegeProgram@eac.gov. 

Eligibility Requirements 
Private and public postsecondary institutions, community colleges, nonpartisan student organizations, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. 

For ideas and more information about recruitment activities, see the EAC’s Guidebook for Recruiting College Poll Workers. 

Grant Restrictions 
Program funds cannot be used to support any partisan, voter registration, get-out-the-vote (GOTV), lobbying, or construction activities. 

Technical Assistance Call
The EAC will hold a technical assistance call to answer applicant questions about the competition. Following are the details:

Date: June 16, 2009 (Tuesday)
Time: 2 p.m. Eastern Time
Duration: 1 hour
Dial-in number: (800) 882-3610
Participant passcode: 4193525

Background
The College Program grants are authorized under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to encourage student participation as poll workers or assistants, to foster student interest in the elections process, and to encourage state and local governments to use students as poll workers. The grants also aim to relieve poll worker shortages. To view a list of previous grant winners, visit our HAVA College Poll Worker Grant Recipient page.

A 2005 EAC report found that during the last presidential election, 5.8 percent of polling places and 4 percent of precincts did not have the minimum number of required poll workers. This grant program will also leverage the technology skills of a tech-savvy generation as well as recruit the next generation of poll workers.

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