MONTGOMERY – Ahead of the Nov. 8 General Election, Secretary of State John H. Merrill is encouraging Alabamians to step up to the plate and serve their communities as poll workers.
Poll workers are paid election officials who serve at local polling places and carry out assigned Election Day procedures. There are approximately 1,980 polling places across the state of Alabama that must be staffed each election cycle. Poll worker duties begin before Election Day, as each poll worker is required to undergo training to carry out his or her Election Day responsibilities.
Merrill stated, “Serving as a poll worker is an amazing opportunity to learn more about the election process, while contributing to your community. It is vital that Alabamians to step up and become poll workers!”
For those interested in serving, the poll worker application must be returned to your county probate judge for consideration. Access the application at www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/become-poll-worker.
These are the requirements to become a poll worker:
- Must be a registered voter in the state of Alabama
- Must be registered to vote in the county in which you desire to act as a poll worker.
- Must attend a mandatory poll worker training session. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
- Cannot be a member of a candidate’s immediate family or the second degree of kinship and cannot be a member of a candidate’s political committee
In addition, high school or college students ages 16 or older can apply to become student poll worker interns. Students must be recommended by a principal, another school official or the individual responsible for the student’s home instruction program. More information on the Student Intern Program can be found at www.sos.alabama.gov/student-poll-worker-internship. The student poll worker application must also be returned to the student’s county probate judge for consideration.
For questions or concerns, contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at 334-242-7210 or your county probate judge (www.sos.alabama.gov/city-county-lookup/probate-judges.)
