INDIANAPOLIS — Early voting this election season is in full swing and many counties are looking for poll workers ahead of Election Day, Nov. 8.
The Marion County Election Board is still accepting applications for workers. The board's deputy director said 1,087 workers will be assigned to a vote center on Tuesday, Nov. 8. This upcoming week, the board is working through its pool of interested workers to fill any gaps.
In Hamilton County, around 100 workers are also busy, working 12-hour days putting together and sending out absentee ballots, as well as processing early voters.
"A lot of these people who put the absentee ballots together have been doing this for 20 years, some of them," said Election Administrator Beth Sheller. "We have a lot of new ones this year, too, but our faithful ones who come year after year after year to do it even in presidential and midterms when we're very busy. They are just so good, and we appreciate them so much. There's no way you could do it without them."
Those workers include retired social studies teacher Stanton Renner, who has been at the polls for 14 years.
"Jumped into this the year I retired. It's like a family reunion. We work with the same people year after year. So, it's fun," Renner said. "My mother was involved this way, too, and my grandmother and my great grandfather. So, it's been kind of a family tradition to stay involved."
Training is a big part of the equation.
Hamilton County workers are paid $100 a day during early voting. Sheller said they are looking for last-minute workers. On Election Day, the pay goes up to $120, plus $20 for a meal for much longer hours.
"Some of the counties I've heard pay $75 a day. So, I think ours is a little better, but you have a budget you have to work with and, like I say, a lot of these people consider it a service. So, at least they're getting $100 a day and it's something for them," said Sheller.
In Marion County, clerks make $80 on Election Day. They can also work a half-day for half the pay. The Election Day stipend for inspectors was raised from $110 to $200 in 2019.
The bipartisan teams who are paid hourly make $11 in Marion County.
"We don’t necessarily need to compete (for poll workers) with other counties as only registered voters in each county can work the polls in our county," explained Brent Stinson, Deputy Director of Marion County Election Board. "We are always cognizant of our pay to poll workers to attract them to work on Election Day, but also hear from our poll workers that they aren’t necessarily working on Election Day for the paycheck."
To apply to work the polls on Election Day in Marion County, click here.
Hamilton County is also still taking last-minute applications through its poll worker line.
Sheller said a good rule of thumb is to apply at least a few months before an election.