By SALINA POST
With the November general election looming, Saline County is still in need of election workers.
Saline County Clerk Jamie Doss told Salina Post that she will be having an election worker training session on Saturday for those interested in helping with next Tuesday's election.
According to the Saline County Election Office website, election workers must meet the following requirements.
●Must be a registered voter in Saline County or a 16 or 17 year-old who is otherwise eligible to register to vote, except for not yet being of legal age. K.S.A. 25-2804(a), (b).
●Not a candidate on the ballot, except precinct committeeman or committeewoman. K.S.A. 25-2804(b).
●Must attend a mandatory training class. K.S.A. 25-2806
●Must be available to work on Election Day from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. or until all of the closing procedures have been completed.
●Have transportation to and from work site.
●All positions require that election workers meet the following criteria in order to complete the assigned tasks
-Be able to lift 25-50lbs
-Be able to understand, read and speak English at an 8th grade level
-Be able to work in a busy environment for approximately 14 consecutive hours on Election Day
-Be able to work with multiple ballot styles in an accurate and timely fashion.
According to information from the Saline County Election Office, election worker positions include the following.
Supervising Judge: Be able to learn all aspects of the Polling Place site, supervise and assist 2-4 clerks, assign tasks to complete opening and closing procedures, and oversee all functions of the Polling Place site and handle various voting issues that may arise.
Provisional Ballot Judge: Determine the correct ballot style for voters whose information does not match the registration database and assist voters in completing provisional ballot procedures.
Cross-trained Clerk: Be able to learn all aspects of the Greeter, Check-in Clerk /Computer Operator, and Machine Clerk positions to facilitate a smooth work flow throughout the day.
Greeter: Be able to direct incoming voters in a pleasant and correct manner. Be able to answer voter questions on voting procedures, show sample ballots to voters, and queue voters into lines to avoid congestion.
Check-in Clerk: Be able to find voter names from an alphabetic list, check voter ID when required and complete a form with a voter’s assigned ballot style. Be attentive to detail.
Computer Operator: Be able to learn a computer-based electronic poll book, key names of voters into the computer, check voter ID when required and assign a ballot style. Be attentive to detail. Basic knowledge of computer operation is necessary, including accurate search, retrieval, and entering procedures.
Machine Clerk: Escort voters to the voting machines, set machines for correct ballot style for each voter and assist voters on use of the machine. Learn to operate voting equipment and troubleshoot basic equipment problems.
Advance Election Board Clerk: Be able to work multiple days, immediately before and including Election Day, opening and processing mailed-in advance ballots, escort voters to the voting machines.
All positions will participate in opening and closing procedures at the work site in addition to the tasks listed above.
Election workers are paid for their time. According to the Saline County Election Office website, election worker pay is as follows.
●Clerks and Provisional Ballot Judges are paid $7.25/hr for Election Day and training.
●Supervising Judges are paid $10 on top of the $7.25/hr for Election Day and training.
●Supervising judges as well as election workers designated as runners will receive additional reimbursement for mileage to transport supplies to the Election Office.
To apply to be a Saline County election worker, click on the Apply tab on the Saline County Election Office Election Workers webpage.
If you have questions, contact the Saline County Elections Office at 785-309-5820.