The elections were delayed and the May primary cancelled after a lawsuit forced lawmakers to redraw district lines for State House of Representatives and State Senate.
"Voter response has been good," said election supervisor Larry Hammond, "but it's never enough, of course. The problem we have right now is a lack of pollworkers."
Pollworkers are usually appointed by officials in either political party. To ensure fairness, Hammond said, the appointees are equally split between Republican and Democrat.
The problem is, Hammond said, that too few people are interested in the jobs.
Pollworkers hand out ballots, ensure ballots aren't tampered with, and manage polling places. They also keep track of who votes, to prevent multiple ballots being cast by a single voter.
In polls with more than one precinct, poll workers help voters find the elections in which they are eligible to cast a ballot.
In the event that a counting machine breaks down, it's the pollworkers who help count ballots by hand.
Five or so workers are needed at every precinct, Hammond said.
Potential pollworkers usually apply through their local political party. The workers are then selected from lists provided by political parties.
This year, however, there haven't been enough people interested in the election day positions or the No Excuse" polling, which takes place at the board of elections. Workers in the "no excuse" polls start work August 22 and continue through Saturday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m.
"We need at least three pollworkers for no excuse voting alone," Hammond said.
The positions are paid, he said, and require some training in elections law and procedures. While experienced workers are preferred, Hammond said first timers are welcome as well.
On election day, pollworkers go into polling facilities before dawn, and leave only after the sealed boxes of ballots are on their way to the board of elections. The days can last as much as 12 to 14 hours.
Fewer people are interested in the jobs because they last, at most, a few weeks. Most of the jobs are for a single day-long stretch on election day.
"We need people to let us know of they're interested and available," Hammond said.
Applicants through the board of elections would then have to be approved by the political parties, Hammond said.
"We prefer people who are familiar with the election process," he said.
Hammond said residents who haven't updated their address may be in for a rude awakening on election day. Due to the recent redistricting, some residents have changed precincts, and lines on others have changed drastically.
"We need people to give us their physical address," Hammond said. "Even if you get your mail at the post office, and live on a rural route, everyone needs to make sure their address is accurately reflected in the records."
"Everyone that is registered will get to vote," Hammond said, "but it's a much more pleasant experience when everyone is registered correctly. It's better to confirm your address now than discover you've gone to the wrong polling station on election day. It only takes a minute on the telephone."
To check on your registration, or apply to be a poll worker, call the elections office at 862-6951 during regular business hours.
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