NORRISTOWN — Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Neil Makhija visited the nation’s capitol earlier this week as preparations get underway for the 2024 election season.
Makhija, who also serves as chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, attended a voting rights roundtable on Tuesday at The White House, according to a Montgomery County spokesperson.
“The 2024 election will test the strength of our democratic system even more than the unprecedented election of 2020. Burnout and fear could set off a looming poll worker crisis, in addition to all the continued threats of voter suppression and disinformation,” Makhija said in a statement.
Hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris, the event focused on engagement, accessibility and protecting voter rights. Harris shared a number of initiatives aimed at expanding voter registration efforts, including having federal agencies provide voter registration information and paying college students to register voters and work at polling places, according to a county spokesperson.
“Here in Pennsylvania’s third largest county, we are embracing measures that increase accessibility and protect the right to vote,” Makhija said. “This includes ensuring that everyone who wants to vote is registered and can get their ballot in on time, as well as making sure our polling locations are running smoothly.”
Montgomery County has roughly 2,500 poll workers participating through a high school student poll worker recruitment program, according to a county spokesperson. County officials intend to partner with local colleges and universities to encourage outreach and participation efforts related to the Federal Work Study Program. It’s unclear when it will formally take effect.
“Young people are excited to be engaged in the democratic process, and to have them employed in this way is a win-win for democracy,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder in a statement. “We want people to register to vote, we want them to find it easy to register to vote, and we want young people to be excited about being a part of that process.”
