Pottawatomie County Election Board to observe National Poll Worker Recruitment Day

Through a recruitment campaign and National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, the Pottawatomie County Election Board is searching for additional precinct officials to help with upcoming elections.

According to Patricia Carter, Pottawatomie County Election Board Secretary, the Election Board will have a table set up on National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, which is Tuesday, Jan. 25.

"We are going to have a table set up in our lobby where people can come and get their information about being a precinct worker and they can fill out the application for us while we're there," Carter said.

Currently, there are 104 precinct officials who work at the voting precincts in the county.

"For the June Primary, August Primary Runoff and General Election in November, we're going to need approximately 140 precinct workers," she said.

Carter explained precinct officials are an important part of the democratic process because they set up, oversee and close polls during elections throughout the county, state and country.

"Without the precinct officials we could not carry out elections," she said.

She said they show up early on election day, set up the precincts, check in voters, provide voter assistance to handicap voters, clean up the precincts and take ballots to the Election Board after polls close.

There are three precinct officials for each precinct, which include the judge, the clerk and the inspector.

"Throughout the day the judge and the clerk check people in and hand out ballots," Carter said. "The inspector oversees the whole election enclosure."

Carter said at each precinct there must be one representative from each of the two largest political parties in Oklahoma.

"This means we have to have a Democrat and a Republican in each precinct official board," she said.

These positions are paid and Carter said the inspector receives $110 for the day and the judge and the clerk receive $100 for the day.

In order to become a precinct official, candidates have to undergo training for four to five hours and will receive $35 at the completion of that training.

"Training will be in May this year for all of our precinct officials right before the June Primary," Carter said.

The workers receive the same training that the employees at the Election Board receive from the State Election Board.

At the moment, she said the youngest precinct official in the county is 27 and the eldest is 92.

In addition to National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, Carter said the Election Board has started a campaign to recruit young people called "Youth at the Booth."

Carter said this program was introduced to the high schools, vocational technical schools and colleges in the county. Its purpose is to encourage students 18 years and older who are registered to vote to become precinct officials.

"This will allow the students to experience real life civic lessons while participating in a meaningful community service activity," Carter said.

She explained Gordon Cooper Technology Center is already informing students and she's waiting to hear from other school districts she already contacted.

The idea for "Youth at the Booth" was inspired by Hamilton County Director of Elections Sherry Poland in Ohio, who applied the program to her county in 2016.

Carter said the program has been quite successful in Poland's county and she hopes it will be in Pottawatomie County as well.

Carter is hopeful this year's round of elections are safe and fair and she's looking forward to allowing people to use the Election Board's drive through window, which is a part of their building now located at 330 N. Broadway.

She explained the window can be used for voting assistance, absentee ballot drop-off, voter registration and even candidate filing.

Carter feels this asset will enable more people to vote and she's thankful the window offers safety and convenience, especially during the pandemic.

The secretary said she appreciates the Pottawatomie County Board of Commissioners for providing the Election Board with their current building.

Anyone interested in becoming a precinct official can call the County Election Board at (405) 273-8376 or visit their building, which is located at 330 N.Broadway Avenue in Shawnee.

Be on the look out for the Shawnee News-Star's "Heroes of Democracy" series, which will feature various precinct officials in the county.

This article originally appeared on The Shawnee News-Star: Pottawatomie County Election Board seeking poll workers