With less than one week remaining until Election Day, Penn political groups are scrambling to ensure that polling sites are staffed and ready for voters.
And because the number of polling locations on campus jumped from one to five last year, not to mention this is an election cycle with traditionally low turnout, recruiters have faced increased difficulty finding volunteers.
Penn, too, is notorious for its lack of Election Day volunteers, but organizers hope that this Tuesday will be different.
"Historically, the only place where we have had a problem getting five individuals to work at the polling places has been on Penn's campus," said Bob Lee, the top election administrator for the city.
Three of the five staffing positions for each location are elected positions, and two are appointed. No one ran for the elected positions in the 2001 elections, and though a few students have been appointed to these roles at their own request, many of the 25 slots are still empty.
Penn Leads the Vote -- a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing voter turnout -- has assumed responsibility for educating and training students who are willing to fill those roles.
After a training session, the organization will send the list of volunteer students to the 27th Ward Committee so that committee members can legally fill the positions with interested students.
College sophomore Carine Carmy -- co-chairwoman of Penn Leads the Vote -- said the organization contacted a variety of student groups during volunteer recruitment.
"One criticism that you get a lot of times on college campuses is that it is only Democrats [running the polls] or that it is leaning one way. So we are making a particular effort this year to make sure that it is not partisan at all," she said.
Carmy said that about 20 volunteers have been recruited.
In the past, community members have stepped in to run the polls when students have not. Carmy said that though there may still be community members helping staff the polls next week, the focus will be on students.
Penn's Associate Director for City and Commonwealth Relations Dawn Maglicco said that interest in elections has increased dramatically over the past few years.
"Ideally there would be 25 trained polling-place workers filling those spots next Tuesday, ideally people who live in those voting districts," she said.
Still, the task is difficult because it is not a national election, Carmy said.
"The number of people that come out to staff is always proportionate to the number of people who come out to vote," she said.
