Supervisors raise stipend ahead of 2024 elections to improve recruitment, retention
San Bernardino County poll workers can expect significant increases in pay in 2024 — in some cases more than double the current stipend — as election officials attempt to improve recruitment and retention among the ranks.
Under the new rate structure, those who work as supervisors, field representatives or assist with securing ballots will see more than a twofold increase in their daily compensation in the 2024 elections. Workers in other positions will see slightly smaller, but still substantial, increases in pay.
According to the registrar of voters, previous low pay contributed to problems with recruiting and retaining workers.
“For example, during the Nov. 8, 2022 Statewide General Election, about 30% of the election workers invited to complete supervisor training either declined the invitation, or failed to attend their scheduled training class,” a county report reads in part. “As a result, the (registrar of voters) continuously recruited election workers to staff supervisory positions because, in the days leading up to the election, 14 polling place supervisors declined to work.”
Finding and retaining election workers isn't just a local problem.
According to a September report issued by the political reform group Issue One, 40% of the top election officials in the western United States have left their positions since the 2020 elections, due in large part to harassment and threats.
The loss of all these officials cost local elections offices more than 1,800 years of combined work experience, according to Issue One.
“In a field as technical as election administration — where officials work with specialized voting machines, oversee ballot tabulation, and combat cybersecurity threats, among other responsibilities — it takes time for people to learn complex procedures, gain familiarity with equipment, and hone problem-solving skills for when challenges arise,” Issue One's report reads in part.
“Those with less experience are more prone to making small mistakes based on lack of knowledge — mistakes that, however innocuous, may be interpreted by
hyper-partisans as malicious acts,” the report continues. “To help prepare the next generation of election officials and election workers, jurisdictions across the country need to be investing significantly in training — on top of their routine investments in their voting equipment, the maintenance of their voter rolls, and other typical expenditures.”
In a report presented to San Bernardino County supervisors Sept. 26, officials reiterated the importance of investing in election workers.
“Volunteer poll workers are essential to helping residents exercise their right to vote at polling places, which total approximately 300 locations during countywide elections,” a county staff report reads in part.
Here’s a closer look at stipend adjustments approved by the Board of Supervisors:
• Clerk: pay increasing $100 a day to $255 a day.
• Assistant supervisor: increasing $135 a day to $260 a day.
• Supervisor: increasing $135 a day to $300 a day.
• Field representative: increasing $250 a day to $375 a day.
• Ballot security: increasing $175 a day to $300 a day.
In addition, the bonuses for attending two hours of training will increase $20 to $30 per day and the stipend for bilingual election workers will go up $10 a
day to $20 a day.
According to Melissa Eickman, spokesperson for the registrar of voters, in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election, 1,972 poll workers worked on Election Day. In the June 7, 2022, primary election, 1,802 poll workers worked. And in the Nov. 8, 2022, general election, 1,900 poll workers worked on Election Day.
The pay hike will cost the county an estimated $261,255, according to the staff report.
Riverside County raised its stipends for poll workers
in time for the Nov. 3, 2020, election, according to county spokesperson Brooke Federico. Election officer stipends were increased to $20 per hour. Riverside County also gives election workers $20 for attending training.
In the 2020 election, Riverside County had 1,360 poll workers, according to Federico. In the June 2022 primary, it had 1,412 poll workers. And in the November general election, it had 1,579 poll workers. Riverside County is a Voter Choice Act county, which
spreads out voters by providing a variety of ways for them to cast their ballots before and on Election Day, including at 30 voting centers located around the county. According to Federico, one effect for Riverside County has been a need for fewer poll workers.
San Bernardino County supervisors are expected to affirm their approval of the higher stipends at a meeting on Oct. 24. The stipends would then go into effect a month later, on Nov. 23.