Poll Workers
Deborah Shaw has worked at the polls since 1978. This year she is one of the chief judges at the Weaver Dairy Road polling place, held at the Chapel Hill Fire Department.
Poll workers are paid a minimum of $115, with pay depending on the job they perform, Shaw said. Assistant poll workers must be at least 18 years of age. At polling places there are three “judges” - a Republican judge, a Democrat judge and a chief judge. The three judges must remain at the polling station the entire day - from opening at 6 a.m. until the station closes and things are packed up. Sometimes that can be a 19-hour day, especially during Presidential elections, Shaw said.
Charles Adams, a poll worker at the Estes Hills (Chapel Hill Public Library) polling station, said he receives $120 for about 13 hours of work, which includes checking in voters, handing them their ballots and answering any questions they might have. Although he gets some monetary gain, Adams said, “But I would do it for free. … I think it’s my civic duty, but if they want to pay me, that’s O.K.” Adams has worked at the polls for five years and began his shift at 6 a.m. today.
Interested in how poll workers are trained? The North Carolina State Board of Elections has training videos here: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/video/video.htm
Interested in becomming a poll worker? According to the United States Election Assistance Commission’s Web site, contact Gary Bartlett, executive director for the State Board of Elections, at 919-733-7173. http://www.eac.gov/state_poll.asp?states=nc
The Asheville Citizen-Times ran an interesting story about poll workers. Here: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661029012
-Shannan Bowen