April 27, 2020
By:
DeKalb County Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley is calling on residents willing to serve as poll workers for the August 6th election.
DeKalb County needs approximately 70 to 75 poll workers each election. “We need people of DeKalb County to step up and help out,” Stanley said. “If you are looking for temporary work, we need your help.”
“We certainly hope by August the COVID-19 issue will be less of a concern than it is currently, but at this stage we are working on plans to ensure that poll workers have a safe and healthy work environment,” he said. “The state office is working with all 95 counties to help us with both protective gear, ideas on how to maintain social distancing, and other worker/voter protections if still necessary by then.”
Those who have been long-time workers are asked to call the local election office to report if they wish to work in August, and potential new workers who wish to join the list are encouraged to do the same. The phone number is 615-597-4146. Current or interested workers may also email the office at dekalbelections@dtccom.net.
The election office will provide training for any new poll official before they election. To help with filling needed spaces, the legislature adopted a new law that allows poll workers to work a partial day on Election Day.
WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A POLL WORKER?
Poll workers conduct assigned duties at a polling site on Election Day (and early voting). Duties can include processing voters, monitoring the voting equipment, or include a greeter who assists with answering questions and directing voters to the voting areas.
WHAT ARE THE HOURS OF WORK?
Polling places on Election Day open at 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Poll workers can work a full day, or half of the day. Generally, the hours are 7a.m. (to get the polls ready for opening) until about 7:30 at night or possibly later in the case of the November election.
ARE POLL WORKERS PAID OR VOLUNTEER?
Poll workers are compensated for working and are compensated for attending training sessions.
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS TO BE A POLL WORER?
To be a poll worker, a person must:
• Be able to read and write in the English language
• Not be a candidate
• Be 16 years of age or older
• Not work directly under the supervision of a county or municipal elected official who is on the ballot
• Not be a close relative of a candidate. Close relatives are defined as the spouse, parent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece of a candidate on the ballot or a write-in candidate.
HOW DO I BECOME A POLL WORKER?
If you are interested in becoming a poll worker, you should apply by contacting the DeKalb County Election Office at 615-597-4146 or by email at dekalbelections@dtccom.net. A postal mail request can also be accepted. The mailing address is: DeKalb Election Commission, P.O. Box 549, Smithville, TN 37166
Poll officials are appointed at the county level by the Election Commission and those selected will be notified by letter at the appropriate time.