They’re hanging out a sign at the Midland County Elections Office they hope dozens of people respond to soon: Help wanted.
More than 100 people are needed to help operate elections, according to Beth Shock, the assistant election administrator.
“It will probably be 170,” Shock told Midland Times. “We are still determining how many polling places: it will either be 20 or 19. And we will have early voting in five locations.”
So far, the office has less than one-third the number of election workers needed.
“We’ve got some people that worked in the past who have called and said they want to work,” she said.
Election administrator Carolyn Graves said she has budgeted more than $100,000 for election workers, including the March 3 primary, the July 14 runoff, Election Day on Nov. 3 and more than two weeks of early voting from Tuesday, Oct. 13, to Friday, Oct. 30.
Gov. Greg Abbott allowed four extra days of early voting this year.
Election judges are paid $11 per hour; alternate judges and election workers $9 per hour. Pay was $1 higher during summer elections because the state chipped in some money.
Election Day is a long one, with voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., although anyone in line at 7 p.m. is allowed to vote, meaning voting can last until 8 p.m. or so. Poll workers show up between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. and work until votes are sent to the county office.
“They usually work a good 14-hour day,” Shock said.
It’s also an expensive proposition for the county.
“I have budgeted $20,000 a week,” said Graves, who has worked in the election office for 12 years, but this is her first year in charge of voting.
She said finding workers is difficult.
“Well, it’s been a challenge for us to get workers,” Graves said. “It’s been exceptionally hard, with the challenge of COVID and everything.”
It looks to be a busy election, with Texas now a battleground state in the presidential race, Sen. John Cornyn opposed by Democratic challenger M.J. Hegar and six other candidates, all 36 U.S. House seats up for grabs as well as state and local races.
Graves expects a busy election.
“I have ordered 65,000 ballot stock,” she said. “That’s how optimistic I am.”
Voter Registrar Rosa Olgin said more than 87,000 registered voters are in the county. The most recent count was 87,627.
“Typically, we have more Republicans than Democrats,” Olgin, who has worked in the office for two years, told the Midland Times. “We don’t ask.”
Anease Benton, who handles vote by mail, said there are four reasons a person can request an early or absentee ballot: If they are 65 or older, disabled, in jail but still eligible or will be out of the county on Election Day.
People cannot request a mail ballot due to COVID-19 concern, Benton told the Midland Times.
“That is not a qualifying reason,” she said.
That’s why the early voting and Election Day will be busy and workers are needed. Graves said she hired high school and college students — the minimum age is 16 — to clean voting machines after ballots were cast during the primary and runoff.
“We were very, very pleased with them,” she said. “We hope to have them back.”
Contacting them will be a bit of a challenge, with schools holding distance-learning classes at the start of the school year. Graves said she hopes to have the young people back at polling locations.
She also has written letters to groups and organizations to try to recruit election workers. It’s always been a chore, but with the pandemic, it will be even more difficult, Graves said.
Precautions will be taken. Hand sanitizer will be available, sneeze guards in place and election workers will wear masks. While voters can’t be required to don masks, they will be encouraged to do so, she said.
Finding polling locations has been more challenging than in the past, since the rooms had to be large enough to place voting machines 6 feet apart.
“Beth has done a wonderful job to replace some that we have lost,” Graves said.
Anyone interested in helping must live in Midland County and be a registered voter to work as an election judge, alternate judge or election worker. Election judges must attend a training session once a year; election workers may attend one every two years.
To join the Election Worker Team, complete the election worker response form. You may stop by the office at: 2110 North A St., Suite 103, fax it to 432-688-4912 or mail it to Midland County Election Office, P.O. Box 3434, Midland, TX 79702.
Will there be enough workers? Graves is optimistic — and hopeful.
“We’re going to do our best,” she said.