Poll Worker Information – San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters

Poll Worker Information

Poll Workers are community volunteers that support polling place operations throughout the county.

Citizens interested in serving as a Poll Worker are encouraged to complete a Poll Worker Application [pdf].

What is the Poll Worker Program?

Poll Workers are community volunteers that support polling place operations throughout the County.

As a Poll Worker, you will be providing a vital civic duty to ensure that the right to vote is preserved. It is also a great way to serve your community, get involved in the democratic process, and earn extra money!

Requirements: To be eligible you must:

Be at least 18 years of age and a registered voter in the State of California.
Read, write, and understand English.
Attend a mandatory 2-hour training session.
Work on Election Day from 6:00 a.m. until approximately 9:30 p.m.
Have transportation to the polling place.

Roles & Stipends: There are three roles available: Clerk, Assistant Supervisor and Supervisor

Clerk: $255 per day
Assistant Supervisor: $260 per day
Supervisor: $300 per day
Training: $30 per 2-hour session
Bilingual Pay: $20 per day

Note: To be eligible to receive bilingual pay, poll workers must be fluent in English and one or more of the following languages: Cantonese, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, or Vietnamese.

Duties: The main duties are:

Prepare, open, and close the polling place.
Distribute and receive official ballots for voters.
Assist voters in every aspect of the voting process.

How does the County Employee Poll Worker Program differ?

Generally, the County Employee Poll Worker Program differs in two ways from the normal program, in terms of requirements and work time status.

Requirements: To be eligible you must:

Be a County employee, including but not limited to a regular employee, Public Service Employee (PSE), extra-help or recurrent employee, or contract employee.
Be in good standing with your supervisor.
Be at least 18 years of age and a registered voter in the state of California.
Read, write, and understand English.
Attend mandatory training sessions.

Employee Work Time:

County employees are not required (and should not) use vacation time to attend training or to work at the polls.
County employees will receive their regular county pay, which may include overtime and mileage per the employee’s MOU and applicable ordinances, policies, and procedures.
County employees will code all election hours in EMACS using the TRC ‘POLLS’ and will not receive a separate stipend payment for completing Election Day assignments.

County Employees interested in serving as a poll worker are encouraged to complete the County Employee Poll Worker Application [pdf].

How does the Student Poll Worker Program differ?

Working as a High School Student Poll Worker is a great opportunity to learn about the democratic process while serving your community and earning money. The Student Poll Worker Program differs in three ways from the normal program, in terms of requirements, available roles, and how to apply.

Requirements: To be eligible you must:

Be a high school student at least 16 years of age and in good academic standing.
Read and write English.
Work on Election Day from 6 a.m. until approximately 9:30 p.m.
Attend a mandatory 2-hour training session, held on campus.
Have transportation to the polling place.

Role & Stipend: Student workers can be Clerks: $285 for Election Day and 2 hours training.

Benefits to the Student:

Students are given the opportunity for hands on experience in learning how elections are conducted, and they gain a lifelong appreciation for the democratic process.
Students receive training on how to provide services to voters at the polls, and this experience can help with future work experience.
The presence of students inspires other pupils to pre-register and vote when they reach 18 years of age.
Students show their community the support of the next generation of voters and at the same time meet new people.

How to Apply: Contact your High School Student Poll Worker Program Coordinator for more information. If your school doesn’t participate in this program yet, please reach out to our office and your Principal.

What does Poll Worker Training involve?

All poll workers must complete a 2-hour mandatory basic training class. The training class includes hands-on simulation where an actual polling place is set up and simulated voters are processed. Trainings will be held at several locations throughout San Bernardino County.

Poll workers must be scheduled in order to attend a training class. Walk-ins will not be admitted.

During training, evaluations of trainees will be conducted to identify workers who meet the minimum requirements for working. Performance evaluations will also be conducted to identify workers’ strengths. These evaluations will be used to place poll workers in the proper role on Election Day, or to give the worker the opportunity to advance to supervisor training.

View the Class Schedule for the 2-hour mandatory Basic Poll Worker Training.