Election workers help voters find their precincts at Jo Mackey Magnet Elementary School in North Las Vegas Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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Clark County is seeking workers for a job with a unique and meaningful benefit — the chance to support and defend our nation’s democracy.
The county needs poll workers, and lots of them, to handle what’s expected to be an enormous turnout for this year’s election. Elections Registrar Joe Gloria told county commissioners Tuesday that his office had already brought aboard nearly 2,500 poll workers but needed 900 more.
Those workers will be assigned to the 125 in-person polling locations and the 35 early-voting sites in Clark County, where massive turnout for the June primary has Gloria and his team anticipating the same during October and November. To avoid long lines that awaited voters at in-person sites in the primary, Gloria’s office is working to ensure that polling sites are abundantly staffed.
He told commissioners that although all of the county’s 1.2 million registered voters would receive a mail-in ballot, those ballots might account for as little as 40% of the total votes cast. That leaves a lot of voters coming to early-voting sites or voting in person on Nov. 3.
Clark County is a national model in encouraging voting, and the people who serve at the polls are heroes, especially in a time when some in this country want fewer people to vote.
For applicants, it’s a chance to get a behind-the-scenes seat for one of the most momentous elections in American history, and to help ensure that their fellow county residents have a safe, convenient and secure voting process.
Poll workers will earn $50 for training and $225 to $245 on Election Day, depending on the task they’re assigned. Workers at early-voting polling places will earn $14 an hour during the 14-day early-voting period, which begins Oct. 17.
County commissioners are considering bumping up the pay, too, in order to ensure the positions are filled.
“If we can raise it to $100 for training and three (hundred dollars) or $350 for the day, at this point that would make me feel a lot better about how many we’re going to end up having by November,” Commissioner Tick Segerblom said. “It’s the most important election of our lifetime, and if we had too many people, that would not be a problem.”
Segerblom is right, and we’d urge his colleagues to follow his lead.
But even without the extra pay, the county has 1,200 applications pending for the open positions.
It could always use more, though, so we’d encourage readers seeking work to apply. And if you know someone who is looking for work, we’d urge you to tell them about the opportunity.
Applications may be obtained by email at [email protected], or by calling 702-455-2815. In addition, applications may be completed online by visiting ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote, clicking on “Registered Voter Services” and signing in, then selecting “Apply to be a Poll Worker,” where applications can be filled out and submitted.
Jobs include signing in voters, monitoring for compliance with coronavirus directives, sanitizing equipment and assisting voters. Applicants must be 16 or older and be able to work shifts as long as 14 hours. The county says workers who speak Spanish or Tagalog in addition to English are especially needed.
Being a poll worker is a way to pick up a little income and do something special for our community, state and nation. What’s not to like?
