With the November 2 general elections less than a week away, many county election boards are having a hard time finding poll workers to cover all districts.
“We had a lot of people that left and they haven't come back because the pandemic is still ongoing, and they're still apprehensive about working in the public,” says Ulster County Board of Elections Commissioner Ashley Dittus.
What You Need To Know
- To attract more poll inspectors, the Ulster County Board of Elections increased compensation to $15 per hour and $60 for attending the training class
- Trainings are being held in-person and online
- Classes are being held from now until Election Day
She says there was a lot of enthusiasm for the presidential election last year, but interest has declined.
“When we don't have enough poll workers, that means that we have to stretch the staff that we have in the poll site to cover the necessary steps,” says Dittus.
For poll inspectors Paula Wisneski and Donna Lutz, it means getting voters in and out this election cycle will be more difficult.
“The more people we can process, the better,” Wisneski said. “With less people, it’s a slower process.”
“People would be waiting longer, and not too happy about it,” Lutz added. “And I get it, they were there early in the morning so they can get in and go to work, and then leave or after work. They come, they have children, they're going to be going home to cook dinner for them, and they'll have to wait longer.”
Lutz and Wisneski are encouraging people to sign up to be poll workers. They say although it is a long day, it is a fulfilling experience.
“We do have a lot of people who are special needs or just are hard to hear or hard to see the ballot. We're there to help,” says Wisneski.
“I really like the camaraderie that we have. … I've made lifelong friends,” says Lutz.
The Ulster County Board of Elections will hold training classes to become a poll inspector from now until Election Day.
To attract more poll inspectors, the Board of Elections increased the compensation to $15 per hour, plus $60 for attending the training class. Trainings are also more accessible, being held in-person and online.
“We need the same amount of people working as we did last year, and we really are looking for people that care about their community, care about civic engagement, helping their neighbors,” says Dittus.
