With municipal elections this fall and the presidential and state elections coming in 2024, Cumberland County is dealing with a shortage of poll workers — 1,200 of them, according to Elections Director Angie Amaro.

“We generally have a shortage, but not this bad,” Amaro said of the current situation.

Anyone who lives in Cumberland County and is registered to vote here can be a poll worker. According to the Board of Elections, precinct workers should have basic reading, writing and computer skills, as well as perform their duties in a nonpartisan manner. Current candidates, elected officials and political party managers or treasurers may not work at the polls.

Amaro says the county especially needs Republican and unaffiliated voters to sign up as poll workers to meet party balancing requirements for precinct workers.

The board has advertised for poll workers for the Oct. 10 municipal primary; Nov. 7 municipal election; and the 2024 primaries and general election.

“We desperately need Republicans or unaffiliated, but we are short in a lot of our precincts. We’re hoping to add two new precincts, so we’re going to need workers in those areas too,” Amaro said.

Mitzie Roberts, who oversees poll worker operations, says people need to step up to the plate to help.

“There’s always the thing of thinking somebody else is going to do it, but in this instance, we don’t have that somebody else,” Roberts said.

She said a lack of volunteers could cause noticeable problems on election day, such as long lines for voters and strenuous conditions for precinct workers.

“It’s going to make it a more stressful day for those people working in precincts that are shorthanded because they don’t want to have long lines there either,” Roberts said. “They want to process their voters, let them vote and go about their day.”

Amaro said the shortage, if left unchecked, could mean poll workers may have to skip breaks on already long shifts.

“The precincts run short, so therefore, the staff doesn’t really get a break, a lunch break or anything of that nature,” Amaro said. “It would be harder for everyone, and voters will have to wait in line.”

Despite a common misconception, poll workers do get paid for their work, including a stipend and compensation for training, depending on the position they take. Chief judges are paid $210 for working, $25 for training and $25 for any necessary pickup and supply runs; judges are paid $165 for working and $25 for training; and assistants are paid $130 and $25 for training.

“It’s not a lot,” Amaro said. “It’s just enough to basically cover their meals and their travel for the day. But it is paid. And we encourage people to get out and meet your neighbors, learn what actually goes on as far as conducting an election.”

Amaro added that the Board of Elections staff is working hard on recruitment.

“We’re trying to get anybody that we can,” she said.

Voter misinformation

In addition to recruiting more poll workers, elections staffers are “trying to help combat misinformation and disinformation” about voter registration, Amaro said. She stressed that voters who have registered before do not need to do so again unless they are changing addresses or want to update their information.

According to Amaro, nongovernment organizations have misled people into believing they need to re-register each year.

“They get stuff in the mail from these different organizations, and they think it’s us. But it’s not us,” Amaro said. “We don’t send you anything unless you make a change to your record.”

Roberts said this has been an ongoing concern for the county Board of Elections.

“One of the biggest things that we hear all the time is people who do registration drives will tell people you have to register every time,” Roberts said. “And that’s not true.”

Amaro said it’s imperative for voters with questions to reach out to the county board.

“So (with) all the misinformation, disinformation, we encourage the public to contact our office to get the correct information,” Amaro said.

For information about how to become a poll worker, visit the get involved page on the Cumberland County Board of Elections website https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/election-group/elections

Contact county elections staff by phone at 910-678-7733 or email at boardofelections@cumberlandcountync.gov