Tuesday’s election saw voters turn out in numbers close to the mid-term record set in 2010, but finding enough people to work at the polling places was an issue for some counties. Jasper County Auditor, Dennis Parrott, says finding enough poll workers is one of the most difficult aspects of an election.
“You can find a certain party, a lot of Republicans in a certain area of the county and a lot of Democrats, but you have to have mix,” Parrott explains. “I would invite anybody who is interested in being a poll worker to contact us at the auditor’s office.” He says precinct election officials are given training to watch the polls, sign in voters and tally the votes when the polls close.
Parrott says they welcome anyone who is interested in helping. “We can always use poll workers, we are always scrambling to get the right number of poll workers at each particular precinct,” Parrott says. Precinct election officials are paid $10 an-hour along with mileage. In Jasper County, there is a form on the county website for those who are interested, or you can contact the auditor’s office.
(Reporting by Randy Van, KCOB, Newton)