Elections are coming up and Santa Barbara County is calling on you.
In a Wednesday press release, the county’s Elections Division sent out an urgent request for poll workers in anticipation of the upcoming primary election on March 3.
With poll worker training beginning on Feb. 18, the Registrar of Voters office needs 26 volunteers to serve as clerks in south county and more countywide as back-up in case of last minute cancellations.
“Poll workers are on the frontline of democracy,” county clerk-recorder-assessor and registrar of voters Joseph Holland said in a press release. “Without them, voting does not happen.”
Throughout the county, there are 170 precinct boards. Community participation is key to staffing each of these boards, the press release noted.
Volunteers who work at a polling place will receive a stipend of $180 to $240 to attend training and work election day.
To be a poll worker, those interested must: be a registered voter in California or be a lawful permanent resident in the U.S., be available to serve March 3 from approximately 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and be available for a mandatory training class.
Apart from poll worker training, Feb. 18 also marks the deadline eligible citizens can register to vote to be able to participate in the primary on March 3. If a voter has moved or changed their name, they must also complete a new voter registration form.
Citizens can register online at registertovote.ca.gov prior to midnight on Feb. 18. Mail-in-voter registration forms can also be found at any Santa Barbara County Elections Office, local libraries, post offices or DMV offices. Voter registration cards postmarked on or before the deadline will be accepted for the March 3 election.
All three election offices in the county will be open Saturday, Feb. 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Tuesday, Feb. 18 until 6 p.m.
Additional information on registering and voting can be found by contacting the County Elections Office at (800) 722-8683.
To learn more about the poll worker program and training process, go to sbcassessor.com/elections/pollworker.aspx. Those interested in volunteering can call (844) 259-0348. To sign up within a specific area, email sbpolls@co.santa-barbara.ca.us (Santa Barbara/Goleta/Carpinteria) or smpolls@co.santa-barbara.ca.us (Santa Maria/Lompoc/Santa Ynez).
email: tkenny@newspress.com
