Inyo County Elections Office seeks volunteers

Volunteers can serve community, earn cash

“There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge”

–

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Bertrand Russell

With less than two months before the March 5 Primary Election, the Inyo County Elections Office currently is recruiting election workers for upcoming elections, Inyo County Clerk/Recorder and Registrar of Voters

Danielle Sexton reported this week.

According to Sexton’s office, “election workers are a critical part of the election process. This is a great opportunity to serve your community and earn extra money in the process.”

Requirements for poll workers are:

• Registered California voters.

• Legal permanent residents that meet all voter eligibility requirements.

• Eligible high school students that enroll through the Elections Office’s Student Worker Program.

• Must be available to work on Election Day (March 5), from 6:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. or until all of the closing procedures have been completed.

Election workers are paid a stipend for volunteering, including:

• Technician – $150

• Inspector – $100

• Election clerk/poll worker – $80

• Student poll worker – $80

• Training class attendance – $30

All election volunteers will be required to attend at least one training session prior to working on Election Day. Volunteers will receive information about training classes prior to being assigned.

Contactelections@inyocounty.us for more information.

Those who are interested in being an election worker can sign up at pollworker.sos.ca.gov or email the Inyo County Elections Office at elections@inyocounty.us.

Sexton said Tuesday that her office is in “high need” of an Americans with Disabilities Act technician for Lone Pine, adding that the ADA machines were not able to be used during last year’s election due to a lack of a qualified technician. She said full training is provided but it being “a little techie” would be a benefit.

Elections updates During Tuesday’s Inyo County Board of

Supervisors meeting, Sexton provided a number of updates related to the upcoming elections.

She said local Voter Information Guides will be going out on Jan. 25. The guides will include sample ballots.

Sexton said voters should keep in mind that this is a presidential primary election so the ballots that voters will receive will only have presidential candidates based on their registered political party.

She said her office sent out more than 2,000 postcards to votes in Inyo County that are not affiliated with an official political party. She said ballots that “non-preferred party voters” receive will not have candidates for president but those voters can contact her office to either re-register or request a “cross-over ballot” that a few political parties, such as the Democratic, Libertarian, and American Independent parties, allow for.

Sexton said mail-in ballots will be sent out on Feb. 5.

She said while the last day to register to vote is Feb. 20, those wanting to vote can register up to Election Day and cast a provisional ballot. She said those ballots are counted separately after registrations are processed.

Sexton said her office will be conducting a “popup voting support day” in Olancha on Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Olancha Fire Station. During that time residents can get help registering to vote, mail-in ballots will be collected and other various services will be available.

“We are not able to do a full polling place within that community but I wanted to do more,” Sexton said.

For more information, call the office, (760) 8780220, or visit www.elections. inyocounty.us.