Wanted: Volunteer poll workers for Aug. 2 primary election in Marion County

Andrew Carter, Marion Star
·4 min read
Marion County Board of Elections Director Cindy Price said volunteer poll workers are "the backbone of election day." The Board of Elections is seeking volunteers to serve as poll workers for the Aug. 2 primary and special election. For information about being a poll worker, go to www.boe.ohio.gov/marion or call the office at 740-223-4090. Pictured in the foreground, left to right, are poll workers Willie Troutman and Denny Doyle; in the background are, left to right, Loretta Mann and David Schaber.

The Marion County Board of Elections is seeking volunteers to serve as poll workers for the Aug. 2 primary and special election.

Noting that poll workers are "the backbone of election day," Board of Elections Director Cindy Price said a minimum of 130 poll workers are needed to man all the precincts on election day, however, she would like to have about 154 volunteers available.

"We had the minimum number for the May 3 primary election," Price said. "Poll workers are a big push for us once again. The minimum age for poll workers is 17 and they have to be a senior high school."

Marion County has 65 voting precincts spread across six locations: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Richland Road Church of Christ, Knights of Columbus hall, Dayspring Wesleyan Church, Cornerstone Alliance Church, and the Elgin Local Schools Administration Office.

Price outlined the election day responsibilities poll workers are asked to fulfill.

"They're going to be there from 5:30 in the morning until about 8 o'clock at night, because they have to tear down the equipment after voting is done," Price said. "So, it's a long day. The poll workers assist the voters with the check-in process, escort them to the voting machines, scan their ballots prior to leaving — just walking people through that whole process. The information table will have sample ballots and a list of registered voters if they want to check all that out before they go to check in to vote. Poll workers assist people with all of that."

Two poll workers are assigned to each precinct — one Democrat and one Republican.

People interested in volunteering to be a poll worker can contact the Marion County Board of Elections at 740-223-4090 or email marion@OhioSoS.gov. People can also register to become poll workers by visiting VoteOhio.gov and clicking on "Poll Worker Resources" under the "Vote on Election Day" section.

Early voting starts July 6

Early in-person voting for the Aug. 2 primary election begins on Wednesday, July 6 and runs through Monday, Aug. 1. Following is the schedule for in-person absentee voting in Marion County:

• Wednesday, July 6 to Friday, July 8, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Monday, July 11 to Friday, July 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Monday, July 18 to Friday, July 22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Monday, July 25 to Friday, July 29, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Saturday, July 30, 2022, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Sunday, July 31, 1 to 5 p.m.

• Monday, August 1, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In-person early voting will be conducted outside the Board of Elections in the Marion County Building, as it was for the May 3 primary election, Price said.

Absentee ballot applications for the Aug. 2 primary election are now available at the Marion County Board of Elections office on the ground floor of the Marion County Building, 222 W. Center St. in Marion, or on the website www.boe.ohio.gov/marion. Click on the "Absentee Information" tab and then click on the "Absentee Voting" tab for information.

Ballot applications are also available at the U.S. Post Office on Barks Road and adjacent to the drop box behind the Marion County Building in downtown Marion. Residents can also call the Board of Elections and request that an application be mailed to them. The telephone number is 740-223-4090.

The deadline to request an application for an absentee ballot is noon on Saturday, July 30. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Aug. 1. Absentee ballots not returned by mail must be dropped off at the Board of Elections office by 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 2.

The deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 2 primary election is Tuesday, July 5.

For information about the Aug. 2 primary election, go to the Marion County Board of Elections website www.boe.ohio.gov/marion or the Ohio Secretary of State website VoteOhio.gov.

Sample ballots for the Aug. 2 primary election are available on the Board of Elections website.

The Marion County Board of Elections is located on the ground floor of the Marion County Building at 222 W. Center St. in downtown Marion. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter 

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Wanted: Volunteer poll workers for Aug. 2 Marion Co. primary election