When the Barton County Clerk's Office reduced the number of voting locations before the last election, one of the reasons was the difficulty in finding poll workers. Now with just 10 voting locations, the Clerk's Office is still short of poll workers in advance of the primary election on August 4.
Why the shortage? Barton County Clerk Donna Zimmerman says concern over Covid-19 has left many people reluctant to help this time around. She says many older adults have decided to sit this election out as poll workers because of the fear of contracting the virus. But Zimmerman says they will do everything possible to make sure those workers remain safe.
“We are going to provide masks and face shields to workers and will have plenty of disenfectant and hand sanitizer for both poll workers and voters,” Zimmerman said. “In addition, disposable styluses will be used by voters when they sign in with a poll book and sneeze guards will be placed in front of workers as well.”
In addition, all voting screens and surfaces will be wiped down after every use to making the voting locations as safe as possible for both workers and voters.
If you are interested in helping out during the upcoming election you can call the Barton County Clerk's Office at 793-1835.
Poll worker information:
COMPENSATION:
Election workers receive an average of $100 per election and $20 for training.
The Supervising Judge has additional duties and is compensated for additional mileage and time.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Must be a resident of Barton County
Must be registered to vote and current on information
Must be a U.S. citizen
Must be able to work at least 14 consecutive hours on Election Day
Training:
Poll Workers are required to complete an Election Worker Application.
Each poll worker is required to attend a new poll worker training class which covers all the basics of operating a polling location.
Training with the voting equipment is offered at the Barton County Courthouse.
A complete training schedule is mailed to all poll workers prior to each election.
All poll workers are compensated for their training and for their dedicated service on Election Day.
DUTIES INCLUDE:
Attend scheduled training sessions
Set up polling location ready for voters
Check in voters and obtain voter signatures in poll book
Operate voting machines
Issue ballots to eligible voters
Provide voting instructions to voters