Cumberland County needs about 1,000 precinct officials staffing the polls on Election Day, but as of this week, the county is still 550 workers short — meaning possible longer wait times at the polls come November.
Mitzie Roberts, the administrative coordinator for the Cumberland County Board of Elections, told CityView only 450 workers are signed up.
“People just are not as engaged in doing those types of things,” Roberts said. “It is a very long day, and I understand that. I don’t know how to explain it other than everybody thinks that somebody else will do it.”
Roberts, who has been in her role for more than a decade, said the county has always struggled to find enough precinct workers as long as she’s worked at the elections office.
“We have had specific precincts that have always been shorthanded or hard to get people to work there,” she said. “But sadly, in my time in this position, it’s becoming more prevalent.”
Poll workers have always been hesitant to staff the Massey Hill, Cross Creek 11, Pearce’s Mill 3, Beaver Dam, Black River and Wade sites, Roberts noted. She isn’t sure why.
Precinct officials tend to skew older and are often retired or semi-retired, Roberts said. While the county does see some younger poll workers, there is a need for more, she said.
“We would love to have a younger group come in, just because we are becoming so technology-driven,” she said. “You don’t have to be retired. We have plenty of people who are employed who work with us … They take it as a day [off] because they do see it as a civic duty and they enjoy it because they see people in their neighborhoods that they don’t generally get a chance to see.”
Who’s eligible?
According to the Cumberland County Board of Elections, you must meet the following requirements to serve as a precinct official:
Candidates, relatives of candidates, elected government officials, officers in political parties and managers or treasurers for candidates or political parties are ineligible to serve, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections. Precinct officials may not work at the same polling place as their spouse, sibling, child or child’s spouse.
High school students who will be 17 by Election Day and are in good academic standing may serve as Student Election Assistants, according to the state board’s website. Students will get an excused absence for that day, but must get permission from their school and parent or guardian, Roberts said.
“I know some need community service hours,” she said about student volunteers. “They get their 20 hours just from being with us.”
What are the responsibilities?
Precinct officials’ responsibilities vary depending on their specific position. The most basic position is assistant, according to the Cumberland County Board of Elections.
Assistants’ responsibilities include:
Assistants receive a base stipend of $130 and $25 for training. No experience is required.
Each polling place should have one chief judge and two judges appointed to it, Roberts said. Those appointments are made by members of the Cumberland County Board of Elections, who do so in odd-numbered years. Each appointment has a two-year term, she said.
Angie Amaro, the director of the Cumberland County Board of Elections, told CityView the chief judge and their two judges cannot all belong to the same political party. At least one judge must belong to a different political party from the others, she said.
“In a perfect world, we’d have a Democrat, a Republican and [an] unaffiliated,” Roberts said.
Party chairpersons can nominate people for judgeships, she said. Otherwise, Board of Elections staff must let the board know who is available and willing to serve.
Judges’ responsibilities include:
The base pay is a $165 stipend, with $25 for training, according to the Board of Elections. It is preferred for judges to have worked at least one prior election.
Chief judges oversee the entire precinct, with judges and assistants reporting to them, Roberts said.
Their responsibilities include:
Chief judges should have at least three elections’ worth of experience, according to the Board of Elections. They receive a $210 stipend, with $25 for training and $25 for picking up and returning supplies.
Roberts and Amaro said all precinct officials should also be comfortable with standing and sitting for long periods of time, walking, lifting and bending. Roberts estimated precinct officials ultimately dedicate roughly 20 hours of their time to the position, with training sessions spread out to avoid overwhelming volunteers, she said.
The county is actively seeking more Republican and unaffiliated precinct officials, Roberts said.
“We can even use Libertarians. We have to be party balanced in the precincts,” she said. “We can’t have a precinct with all Democrats.”
Precinct officials would generally serve at the precinct assigned to them as a registered voter. But if a worker’s home precinct already has a certain number of officials associated with their party, they may be asked to work at a different precinct, Roberts said.
Why does it matter?
Because precinct officials run the show on Election Day, the consequences can be dire if the county doesn’t get enough help, Roberts said.
“Without a sufficient number of workers … expect in November to have a longer wait, just because people will be doing double duty on the jobs that there are in a precinct,” she said.
Those interested in being a precinct official should sign up and turn in all required paperwork by Aug. 15, according to Roberts. The application is accessible online.
Roberts and Amaro said they urge voters to reach out with questions, whether they feel called to serve or not.
“We encourage them to contact us with any questions they have regarding elections,” Roberts said.
Reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.
This story was made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
