Normally this time of year Sean O'Neil would be at college. The George Washington University senior instead is going to be an election worker in Tompkins County. 

"Being home this semester, it seemed like a great opportunity to be involved, get out of the house a bit which is a rare opportunity these days and I don't have classes that day, so it just seemed like a good thing to do," he said. 

Elections officials want more Sean O'Neils this year as they sought to recruit younger people to work at polling sites amid concerns older people who usually staff Election Day would decline.

The commitment requires poll workers to rise before sun up to open polling places across New York. All this as older people who typically work at polling sites may be unable to do so because of the pandemic. 

"What we know is engaging people in our elections when they are younger means they are much more likely to be engaged their entire lives," said Susan Lerner, the executive director of the good-government organization Common Cause. "They're the backbone of our democracy."

Polling workers assist voters with anything that may go wrong on Election Day -- ensuring they are voting in the right place to making sure the voting machines actually work. 

"To be sure the machines are up and running and that the polling place is open at six am and that the voters are able to come in and cast a ballot in a very organized and calm way -- that's very satisfying for poll workers," Lerner said. 

O'Neil is a political science major at GWU and is already interested in politics. But he says this year was especially important to make sure everyone's vote counted. 

"All sorts of things are going on this year with our polls and uncertainty -- things like absentee ballots, the postal service there's been some uncertainty," he said. "I thought that with older people not being able work the polls, it would be good to be there in person and people would still be able to have their voices heard in our elections."