PASADENA, Calif. — Katherine Bourne Taylor is one of thousands of young people stepping up to work the polls for this year’s unprecedented election.

"Somebody has to do this so that we can all vote, and it might as well be people who are low-risk," Bourne Taylor said. 

She’s an actor who lives in Pasadena and got involved with the election through the group Work the Polls on social media. She’s been encouraging others to join ever since.

"The more poll workers we have, the more polling places that can open and the more polling places that are open, the more people can vote safely and quickly," she said.

The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder’s Office estimates it is recruiting close to 17,000 election workers. Companies including Old Navy, Target, and Warby Parker have all made headlines for announcing they would pay store employees who serve as poll workers.

"Everyone has to do an online training and an in-person training and they’re both about two hours," Bourne Taylor said.

Participants make about $100 per day and $80 for mandatory training days, which include a two-hour in--person training and a two-hour online training course.  

New this year is an emphasis on social distancing and keeping voters in line 6 feet apart…even if it means those lines wrap around the block.

"It is an emotional election, and it’s a big election, and so it is going to be intense and just being ready for that," she said.

Election workers are also staying extra alert for any voter intimidation or suppression.

"We’re also told that poll watchers cannot get behind us and look at the voters information and that we are allowed to say you need to step back because that is private information," Bourne Taylor said.

She doesn’t know yet what her assignment will be, but there’s one job she would love: handing out those popular I voted stickers. 

"You get to be the one who gives the cherry on top of the whole voting process, which can be stressful," she said.  

"It’s really illuminating how much goes one behind the scenes [and] how many people there are working the election that you don’t even see, like technicians and troubleshooters."

Starting October 30, Bourne Taylor will be working 12-hour days leading up to the election and 16 hours on election day.  The hours are long, but she feels proud to do her part to ensure every vote counts.

"I think we owe it to our neighbors to get involved and to do what we can to make this process go smoothly."