Princeton U. Dedicates Building To Honor Poll Worker Laura Wooten

PRINCETON, NJ — On Wednesday, Princeton University officially dedicated a building on campus to longtime poll worker Laura Wooten.

Wooten, a longtime Princeton resident was the longest-serving poll worker in the country. She volunteered at local, primary and general election polls in New Jersey for 79 years.

Wooten worked at the University's campus dining for more than 27 years. She died in 2019, at the age of 98. More: Princeton U To Rename Building After Longtime Poll Worker Laura Wooten

The name “Laura Wooten Hall” appears prominently above the building which was formerly Marx Hall.

Wooten’s family and friends were present for the ceremony along with state, county and local officials.

“Laura Wooten’s story offers a powerful example of the positive impact that one remarkable person can have through lifelong dedication to public service and civic values,” University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said during the ceremony.

“We hope that generations of Princetonians are inspired by the story of her extraordinary contributions as they explore ways that they too can serve our nation and humanity.”

Wooten’s daughter Yvonne Hill said naming the building ensures her mother’s legacy lives on. “Some might say that she was a shining example of how ordinary people can do extraordinary things and make a difference, but to us she was an extraordinary person who did what she believed was ordinary,” Hill said during the event.

Wooten was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina on Dec. 19, 1920. She moved to Princeton as a child and began volunteering at polls after graduating high school in 1939.

Before working at Princeton University, Wooten worked as a nurse's aide at Princeton Medical center for 18 years and was a teaching assistant at Community Park School, Princeton.

Wooten later moved to Lawrence Township and her last election day in 2018.

Last year, Gov. Phil Murphy signed "Laura Wooten's Law" which requires middle schools to expand civics education, by providing instruction on constitutional democracy, the function of government and the role of a citizen.

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