Gwinnett seeks more bilingual poll workers

‘We’re hoping that it will be a positive experience and the bilingual poll officials will return for the fall elections as well.’ Lyn Ledford Gwinnett Co. elections director

Gwinnett County has made a dent in its ambitious goal to hire 350 Spanish-speaking poll workers for the upcoming election season — but it still needs more.

To try to close the gap, it will be hosting two more hiring events this month.

The first will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. April 10 at the Shorty Howell Park Activity Building, 2750 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth. The second will be from 4 to 7 p.m. April 12 at OneStop Buford, 2755 Sawnee Ave., in Buford.

The events will be seeking both bilingual poll workers and those who speak only English.

As part of a federal mandate handed down in December 2016, Gwinnett County must now offer Spanish-language voting materials and assistance. That includes making bilingual poll workers available to assist voters. Gwinnett County elections

director Lynn Ledford told the AJC earlier this year that having 350 Spanish-speaking poll workers would allow two such workers to be placed at each of the county’s 156 voting precincts. About two dozen more would staff the eight locations the county plans to open during early voting.

Ledford said Monday afternoon, the county still needed 44 bilingual folks to work May

22’s primary elections and 25 more to cover advance in-person voting.

The latter begins April 30 at the Gwinnett elections office in Lawrenceville and expands to seven satellite locations between May 12 and 18.

Primaries for two county commission seats, two school board seats and several state legislature seats, as well as a handful of local judicial races, will be on the ballot in May. Party primaries for the Georgia governor’s race will be included as well.

The general election in November will also see a large number of contests — as well as a possible referendum on transit expansion in the county.

e hoping that it will be a positive experience and the bilingual poll officials will return for the fall elections as well,” Ledford said.

Those interested can visit gwinnettcountyjobs.com for more information and to apply online.