The Haywood County Republican Party (HCGOP) urgently needs over 150 poll observers for early voting and election day voting and an equal number of poll greeters. I will have an update on the number of Poll Workers we have after my meeting with the Deputy Director of the Haywood County Board of Elections (HCBOE) later today.
Briefly, here is what each position entails:
The HCBOE controls Poll Workers. This is a paid position, but they must appoint you for a two-year term to serve in this position; it is considered a full-time position, which means that you are expected to work every day the polls are open. Poll workers work from about 6:30 AM to about 7:30 PM. It is difficult, to say the least. Exceptions are only made when they have reached the point that they do not have enough qualified Republicans and Democrats to fill all their slots. They are required to have a minimum of 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats and 1 Chief Judge. The Chief Judge is of the same party as the governor.
If we are unable to fill all of our Republican slots, the HCBOE will have to resort to part-time workers or even place Democrats in our slots. We want to avoid this situation at all costs.
The HCBOE will provide any necessary training to certify you as a Poll Worker. Application is made online at https://www.haywoodcountync.gov/597/Poll-Worker-Information-Application.
If you choose to go this route, as soon as you have submitted your application, please let me know at cossettele@gmail.com so I can advise our Party Chair and follow up with the HCBOE to ensure they have received and are processing your application.
Polling Site Observers are controlled by the (HCGOP). This is a non-paid position. Poll Observers must be assigned to observe in 4-hour slots throughout the polling day and voting period. This gives you tremendous latitude, allowing you to volunteer when it fits your schedule.
I am attaching the Poll Observer schedule sheets so you can get yourself scheduled for when you would like to volunteer during the voting process if you choose to be a Poll Observer. As soon as you have decided which days and hours you are willing to volunteer, let me know at cossettele@gmail.com so I can close those slots out.
The NCGOP is responsible for providing the training required to be certified as a Poll Observer. I am attaching the Zoom Training Session schedule provided by the NCGOP for you to register. If the dates and times do not meet your schedule, the NCGOP will soon add additional training sessions. I will forward that information to you via a blog post as soon as I receive it.
Once you have completed the training, let me know so we can watch for your training certification and advise the HCGOP Chair.
The HCGOP also controls Poll Greeters, who are also non-paid positions. Poll Greeters are stationed outside the polling site and welcome voters, encourage them to vote for Republican candidates and thank them for taking the time to vote as they leave.
There are no time limits or designated slots, so when and how long you wish to be a Poll Greeter are up to you. Just let me know that you wish to be a Poll Greeter and which days and times you wish to volunteer for this important function.
Training is informal and will be provided by the HCGOP.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at cossettele@gmail.com. I will happily answer them; if I don't know the answer, I will find it.
Participation as a poll worker, observer, or greeter is crucial to election integrity, and I'm here to help you get started.
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