Forward Blog: The Accidental Forwardist Judge of Elections

By Jessica Gullickson

Last fall, I decided to sign up to become a Poll Worker here in my Beaver County precinct. There are a handful of precincts here in Beaver that really struggle to find enough poll workers for primaries and elections each year. This was a surprise to me. Did you know that? As such, I was asked to serve in an adjacent precinct to where I live; an acceptable practice here in Pennsylvania when workers are in short supply.

Fast forward to the upcoming 2026 Primaries.  Again, a shortage of Poll Workers.  This time I’ve been appointed to serve as Judge of Elections for Harmony Township (in the Ambridge area).

I didn’t step into this because I had extra time, I stepped in because there was a gap, and it needed to be filled. I think that’s the part of civic participation we don’t talk about enough. Voting gets the spotlight, but there’s a whole layer of work underneath it that only functions if people show up.

As a Forwardist, it’s a bit of an interesting seat to hold; helping with a primary election that’s still structured largely around a two-party system.  But, if anything, it reinforces why showing up matters. I can’t hope to change a system by standing outside of it.

What struck me most is how much of this process depends on ordinary people who decide to take on the responsibility. Being honest, showing up can be tough.  Pennsylvania’s elections happen on a Tuesday.  One day, during the business week.  It can be tough for people to take time to vote, let alone commit to a full day away from work to help run the election.  And it’s a long day, 6am to 9pm for some teams.  No fanfare, no big recognition. Just people making sure things run fairly and smoothly for everyone else.

If you’re aligned with Forward values, there’s a real opportunity here. Not just to vote, but to participate in the mechanics of how our elections actually work; understand it from the inside. Poll workers are needed, but if being a poll worker is out of reach, find other ways to get involved.  There are tons of ways; engage with local advocacy groups, political organizations, and nonprofits doing the day-to-day work of strengthening communities.

It’s easy to assume someone else will step up. But in a lot of these cases, there isn’t someone else waiting in the wings.