Secretary of State Michael Adams, on National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, has announced a new initiative to promote poll worker recruitment and voter registration.
There is a critical need for poll workers as Kentucky heads toward November’s general election. A normal election requires 15,000 poll workers in Kentucky. During the primary, many voting precincts were unable to open because there were not enough poll workers to man them.
In response, the Secretary of State’s Office formed a partnership with the Kentucky Guild of Brewers to help get the word out. Together they designed beer labels that solicit volunteers to work the polls and encourage Kentuckians to register to vote. The labels have QR codes directing to govoteky.com where imbibers can register to vote and apply to be a poll worker.
“Last year I testified to the legislature that we had a poll worker crisis in Kentucky,” Adams said. “COVID-19 certainly hasn’t helped. We need younger generations to step up and be good citizens, and so we enlisted the help of Kentucky’s craft breweries to reach them.”
The campaign, SOS From Your SOS, is now being carried by four Kentucky breweries.
“When we are asked to help the Secretary of State with the ‘SOS From Your SOS’ project, Dreaming Creek Brewery jumped at the chance,” said Charley Hamilton, owner of Dreaming Creek Brewery. “We along with several other microbreweries around the Commonwealth were eager to help support the initiative by getting custom labels to help promote and make the information easily accessible through QR codes.
“With COVID-19 still a strong concern going into voting season, poll workers are in short supply. This initiative will hopefully bring attention to this and get some new folks to help out working the polls come voting time.”
You can pick up the different beers at:
-Wooden Cask Brewery, 629 York St, Newport 41071
-Monnik Beer Co., 1036 E Burnett Ave, Louisville 40217
-Pivot Brewing Company, 1400 Delaware Ave, Lexington 40505
-Dreaming Creek Brewery, 109 E Irvine St, Richmond 40475
From Office of the Secretary of State
