Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1504915
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM AUGUST 2 - 8, 2023 UCW 11 ELECTION 2023 Up & Coming Weekly is accepting platform submissions from candidates for municipal office in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Email editor@upandcomingweekly.com or call 910-484-6200 for information Elections board recruiting poll workers by EVEY WEISBLAT, CityView Today 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, ac- cording 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 read- ing, writing and computer skills, as well as perform their duties in a nonpartisan man- ner. Current candidates, elected officials and political party managers or treasurers may not work at the polls. Amaro says the county especially needs Re- publican and unaffiliated voters to sign up as poll workers to meet party balancing require- ments for precinct workers. e board has advertised for poll workers for the Oct. 10 municipal primary; Nov. 7 mu- nicipal election; and the 2024 primaries and general election. "We desperately need Republicans or unaf- filiated, but we are short in a lot of our pre- cincts. 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. "ere's always the thing of thinking some- body 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. "ey 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. "e 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 miscon- ception, poll workers do get paid for their work, including a stipend and compensation for training, depending on the posi- tion they take. Chief judges are paid $210 for working, $25 for training and $25 for any neces- sary pickup and supply runs; judges are paid $165 for work- ing 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 conduct- ing 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 informa- tion. According to Amaro, nongovernment orga- nizations have misled people into believing they need to re-register each year. "ey get stuff in the mail from these differ- ent 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 con- cern 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, disinfor- mation, 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 web- site https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/ departments/election-group/elections Contact county elections staff by phone at 910-678-7733 or email at boardofelections@ cumberlandcountync.gov EVEY WEISBLAT, CityView Today. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. Poll workers are needed for the Oct. 10 municipal primary and the Nov. 7 municipal election. For information on qualifications visit the Cumberland County Board of Elec- tions website.