The state’s top election official is encouraging Mainers to sign up to be poll workers ahead of the Nov. 7 referendum election.

“Serving as a poll worker is a great way for Mainers to be involved in their community in a meaningful way,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement. “Poll workers get a firsthand look at the many checks and balances built into our election system here in Maine as we work to keep our elections safe, secure, accessible and accurate.”

Poll workers must be registered voters, or pre-registered 16- or 17-year-olds. They must live in the county in which they are serving as a poll worker.

Maine law also requires equal numbers of poll workers from each major political party in each municipality.

That can sometimes be a challenge for local clerks, said Sue Clements-Dallaire, Auburn city clerk and president of the Maine Town and City Clerks Association.

“Municipalities throughout Maine often struggle to recruit a sufficient number of election workers with equal party representation,” she said in a statement. “Poll workers are such a critical piece of the election process. What better way to serve your community, to learn how the democratic process works, and to see firsthand all of the measures that are taken to ensure safe and secure elections in Maine?”

Depending on the community, some poll workers are paid and others are volunteers.

In November, voters will be asked to weigh-in on four citizen initiatives and four constitutional amendments.