Election Officials Don’t Fear Poll Worker Shortage on Election Day

State election authorities don’t seem to be worried they’ll be short poll workers for November’s Election Day, despite some recent stories of frustration by some current workers. Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate a few election workers in the state are fed up with all the changes and all the new equipment they had to deal with in August’s Primary elections, and they won’t be back to help in the much heavier turnout of the November general election. Betsy Byers, Co-Director of Elections in the Secretary of State’s office, says she has not heard from any specific counties having problems, but admits it can be a tough sell recruiting poll workers. Byers says the office is stepping up recruitment efforts outside of the pool of usual workers – mostly retirees – and trying to get different groups such as college students to do the job. Byers says a law that would require employers to give time off to poll workers might also help in those recruitment efforts.