When: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Where: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Merced, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba counties
How to Get Involved: Sign up here by Tuesday, October 13
Since the 1990s, ALC has run a nonpartisan poll monitoring program in California’s elections. The goal of our program is to help ensure that our elections are administered smoothly and that all eligible voters can cast their ballots freely and fairly. Today, we co-lead one of the largest election monitoring programs in the country alongside California Common Cause and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
We are seeking volunteers to observe polls during the November 2026 midterm elections. Volunteers will travel to 3-5 polling sites during a 4-hour shift. During your visits, you will check for language and disability access (e.g., translated materials, disability compliance, etc.), may assist voters who are encountering problems, and ensure voter harassment and disenfranchisement do not occur. You will be trained and equipped with the tools to resolve a wide variety of issues. You will also have access to a legal support hotline that will help address problems you may encounter.
Volunteer Requirements:
- Availability on Tuesday, November 3 (Election Day)
- At least 18 years old
- No prior experience necessary. Legal experience or background is welcome but not required.
- You do not need to be a U.S. citizen or a registered voter
- We are especially grateful for bilingual volunteers who can verify the presence of translated election materials and potentially assist voters in languages beyond English.
- Access to a car is strongly preferred. Unfortunately, given the lack of reliable transportation alternatives in certain areas, we cannot guarantee that volunteers without access to a car will be able to participate in the program. However, we will try our best to assign voting sites that are accessible by public transit or pair volunteers with partners who have access to a car.
Trainings:
Volunteers must also attend one of our 90-minute online training sessions prior to participating. Attorneys barred in California will receive 1.5 MCLE credit hours for attending the online training. You can register for one of the four training sessions in our sign-up form.
- Training #1: Saturday, October 3 (10:00-11:30 am)
- Training #2: Monday, October 5 (6:00-7:30 pm)
- Training #3: Thursday, October 8 (6:00-7:30 pm)
- Training #4: Wednesday, October 14 (6:00-7:30 pm)
Pro Bono Credit and Volunteer Gift Cards:
To help offset transportation costs and as a small token of appreciation, we offer volunteers a $50 digital gift card after completing the program.
Attorneys and law students who are participating in the program to earn pro bono credit are not eligible to receive a gift card. However, we can provide you with a certificate of completion to help you fulfill any pro bono reporting requirements.
How to Get Involved:
Please complete this sign-up form by Tuesday, October 13.
Questions?
Please email info@californiaelectionprotection.org.