Election board wants to raise poll worker pay, possibly combine some precincts

Mar. 10—The Crawford County Board of Elections is considering increasing poll worker pay and consolidating some voting precincts in both Meadville and Titusville.

At Thursday's meeting, Christopher Soff, who chairs the board, stressed the matters only were up for discussion.

Soff asked fellow members Eric Henry and Francis Weiderspahn to consider the pay raise in an effort to attract more people to work the polls.

Soff, Henry and Weiderspahn are the county's three elected commissioners, but the commissioners serve as the Board of Elections in years they do not run for office.

Poll workers are needed twice a year — for the primary and general elections — in each of the county's 68 voting precincts. More than 300 workers are needed each election and the county has had a hard time finding enough people.

Soff has proposed raising the pay for training and Election Day service.

Training pay would go from $10 to $20 per session, but workers would get the $20 only if they work the polls on Election Day, Soff said.

Weiderspahn said he was in favor of an increase, but favored $15. Henry said he was OK with the $20 to attract more people.

Soff also asked the board consider a $10 increase in poll worker pay on Election Day. Current minimum pay is $91 for a judge of elections. Clerical positions at precincts also would get a $10 bump.

"No doubt it's a long day, but it's a day we can't do without those people there," Soff said.

Soff said estimates were the training pay increase would cost an additional $2,500 per election while the poll worker pay increase would be about $4,000 per election.

He also floated the idea of consolidating some voting precincts in the county's two cities due to a lack of poll workers.

Meadville currently has nine voting precincts, which Soff said potentially could be consolidated to six. Titusville, which has seven precincts, potentially could be consolidated to three.

Soff stressed formal combining of precincts would require approval of Crawford County Court of Common Pleas, and that any formal consolidation to reduce the number of precincts wouldn't take effect until at least 2023.

"We can't do anything until we make the formal appeal to county court," he emphasized.

In 2021, the Board of Elections voted to relocate the locations of some smaller precincts in the two cities due to a shortage of poll workers. The respective precincts' machines were separated within those sites.

In Meadville, three precincts' voting locations were relocated as of the 2021 election.

The polling location for Meadville's 2nd Ward 2nd Precinct moved from First Presbyterian Church, 890 Liberty St., to St. Brigid Church Social Hall, 967 Chancery Lane. The St. Brigid's hall already was the polling location for Meadville 3rd Ward 2nd Precinct.

Meadville's 4th Precinct and 5th Precinct polling sites both moved to the Meadville Senior Center at Active Aging, 1034 Park Ave. The senior center also accommodates the 3rd Ward, 1st Precinct. Voters in the 4th Precinct had cast ballots at Holland Towers apartment complex, 1120 Market St., and voters in the 5th Precinct used Wadsworth Avenue Evangelical Church, 339 Wadsworth Ave.

In Titusville in 2021, all seven precincts voted at the Titusville YMCA gymnasium, 505 W. Walnut St., with voters using the West Main Street entrance to access the building.

Voters in the cities are asked to contact the commissioners at the Crawford County Courthouse about possible consolidation of precincts, Soff said.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at .