Poll workers needed in Auglaize County
Aug. 4—WAPAKONETA — Auglaize County is one of 50 Ohio counties contending with a shortage of poll workers ahead of Tuesday's special election.
While the county has recruited the minimum number of poll workers needed to keep all precincts open Tuesday, Auglaize County Board of Elections Director Michelle Wilcox said there will likely be fewer poll workers assigned to vote centers like the Auglaize County Fairgrounds — home to 10 of the county's precincts.
As of Friday afternoon, only 23 poll workers were assigned to work the fairgrounds, Wilcox said. That's 17 people shy of the four workers per precinct that is typical for a county-wide election.
"We're at our minimum," Wilcox said. "Any lower, the fear right now is that three more call off. ... We don't like to send poll workers that live in Wapakoneta or that live in St. Marys — we don't want to send them to Clay Township, and that's what we're asking of our seasoned poll workers."
Auglaize County pays poll workers $125 per election, which typically consists of 12-14 hours of work overseeing precincts and processing provisional ballots. Another $30 is offered to poll workers who complete training.
Those incentives aren't always enough, particularly for special elections.
Small polling locations may need to consolidate in future elections if poll worker recruitment doesn't improve, Wilcox said.
Because of the shortage, Auglaize County will continue accepting poll workers through Monday evening.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose set a goal for counties to recruit at least 115% of the minimum number of poll workers needed for a statewide election to avoid complications on Election Day.
Auglaize County is 18 workers shy of its 140-person goal, with only 122 people registered. The county needs at least 121 poll workers to keep all of its precincts open.
Meanwhile, Allen and Putnam counties exceeded their recruitment goals, according to Ohio's poll worker tracker.
More than 32,000 Ohioans have committed to work Tuesday's election, exceeding LaRose's 31,811-person goal, but recruitment remains uneven across counties.
Fifty counties did not meet their recruitment goals as of Wednesday, including 27 counties that did not recruit the minimum number of poll workers needed for the election.
