MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Monongalia County Clerk Carye Blaney is making a push for poll workers and alternates as the May 14 primary election nears. A list of names is being assembled now in advance of the required training scheduled for next week.
This May, voters will have several non-partisan races and levies to vote on in addition to the primary races for the President of the United States, the United States Senate, Congress, and governor. Voters will also decide on four excess levies and a new bond levy for the Monongalia County Board of Education and the proposed Renaissance Academy.
Poll workers will staff more than 40 polling places and vote centers at the Mountaineer Mall, Mason Dixon Park, and Suncrest Town Center on May 14.
“We’ll need approximately 215 to be fully staffed, and we accept alternates because it’s a long time between now and May 14,” Blaney said.
The general requirements to be a poll worker are that you must be at least 18 years old at the time of the election, a resident of West Virginia, be registered in the county you are volunteering in, and complete the required training.
“Once we determine if they can be a poll worker, our classes are based on the position that person is going to fill,” Blaney said.
This year, there is a partnership with Vet the Vote, an organization committed to recruiting veterans and military family members to serve as the next generation of poll workers. In 2022, a report from the organization said more than 63,000 people from the organization served at polling locations nationwide.
“Vote for veterans or spouses of veterans to volunteer to be poll workers in the community,” Blaney said.
Each polling place has a variety of positions designed to keep the flow of voters moving and the ballots properly counted. So, training sessions are arranged with volunteers once they meet the requirements and have identified where they would be most productive.
“Depending on the position they are assigned to, they will be placed in a two-hour training class,” Blaney said.
Some modest compensation is offered for the long day required to work polling locations on election day, according to Blaney. Poll workers can expect a long day, but not sweat on the brow, backbreaking work.
“They will work approximately 13 to 15 hours a day on election day,” Blaney said. “From 5:30 a.m. to approximately 8:30 p.m.”