Warren County Approves Pay Bump for Election Day Poll Employees
In a move aimed at attracting more people to commit to the exhausting routine of working full Election Day shifts, the folks over at the Warren County Fiscal Court have given a green light to a pay increase for Election Day poll officers. Their hope is that more folks will sign up to work the polls during the election day if they’ve got a little more fuel in the tank financially.
So what’s the cash increase? Well, it’s an extra $25 bucks in the pocket for those volunteering their time. The chief decision maker, Warren County Clerk, Lynette Yates broke the news that prior to this, the folks working the polls for Election Day were pulling in $200. Now, they’ll be looking at $225 when the dust settles.
Don’t think that’s quite enough for a day that typically runs from 5 in the morning to 7 in the evening? Yates reckons so too. That’s why they’ve included a higher payment, hoping to boost sign-ups for Election Day shifts instead of early-voting.
“We were finding more people were wanting to work early voting, because it’s an eight-hour day, very structured. We thought if we increase that it will kind of pique more people’s interest to go ahead and try to sign up for Election Day,” Yates shed light on the situation.
But that’s not all, folks. The court also approved the addition of more privacy screens and stands for voters to use as they cast their votes.
“We needed more of those for the locations we feel like, the more we set up of those, the less wait time for our voters so they can move through the process,” said Yates.
In plain English, they’re looking to make the whole voting process a bit smoother and quicker for voters by doling out more of these stands at poll venues.
If your ears have perked up at the promise of a little extra dough to work the polls on Election Day or even during the election, you can sign up at the Warren County’s website. The only condition? You’ve gotta be a registered voter in Warren County.
Keep in mind, the portal for mail-in absentee ballots opens on September 21 and shuts shop on October 22. You’ve got until October 7 to make any changes to your voter registration. And, of course, don’t forget to mark your calendars for the big day — Election Day is November 5th.
Disclaimers at the ready — this pay increase had to go through the fiscal court’s approval because they’re the ones footing the bill for election expenses.
