Press release from Buncombe County:
Buncombe County Election Services is now recruiting poll workers for the second primary which will take place on Tuesday, June 23. The contest is between Republicans Lynda Bennett and Madison Cawthorn, who are vying for the GOP nomination for U.S. House District 11.
The election process needs you
North Carolina State Board of Election officials encourage teachers, students, and younger North Carolinians to serve their communities and democracy as poll workers in 2020. We need the public’s help to make elections safe and accessible, now more than ever.
Through the Student Assistant Program, students who will be at least 17 years old by Election Day can work as Election Day assistants too. Use the Student Election Assistant Application to apply.
What you need to know
Poll workers are assigned to a precinct (often your own precinct or one close to home) and they assist voters with all steps of the election process. To be a poll worker, you must be over 17, a US citizen, registered to vote in Buncombe County, and be able to pass a basic background check. Additionally, some basic computer skills are required, but you will also receive training. The polls are open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., so this makes for a long work day. However, this is a paid position and you will have the satisfaction of performing a valuable service to the community and working to uphold the democratic process. Compensation is a flat fee of $210 for attending the training, helping to set up the precinct before the election and working on the day of the election.
Training starts the week of June 8. To learn more, visit our website at buncombecounty.org/vote or call Kevin Roberts at (828) 250-4226.
Election Services’ COVID-19 protocols
Buncombe County is committed to ensuring the highest standards of hygiene are maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant precautions will be in effect to protect in-person voters and poll workers including: buncombecounty.org/vote
- Masks available for all poll workers and voters who do not bring their own
- Single-use pens for voters to mark their ballots
- Single-use cotton swabs for voters using touchscreen voting machines
- Enforced social distancing for all poll workers and voters, including markings or barriers to prevent voters in line from standing too close together
- Hand sanitizer for voters and poll workers
- Face shields and gloves for poll workers
- Protective barriers between poll workers and voters at check-in tables
- Special sanitation kits at each precinct to ensure poll worker protection and clean tables, voting booths, and voting machines throughout the voting process
- Thorough cleaning of voting sites before and after the election
- Training sessions arranged to ensure social distancing
- Appropriate hygiene measures taken to clean the training room and materials
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