San Luis Obispo County seeks poll workers for November general election
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Office is currently seeking poll workers for the upcoming General Election this coming November.
The call to the public comes on Tuesday, Aug, 11 during "National Poll Worker Recruitment Day," an annual initiative to inspire civic engagement and encourage people to sign up to become a poll worker.
"National Poll Worker Day is to just get the word out and encourage people that if they are interested in seeing what the behind the scenes looks like to sign up," said San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Alaina Cano. "We always need poll workers and this is just the kickoff to the November election."
According to Clerk-Recorder Office, poll workers are the face of the election, performing a number of important tasks such as setting up polling places, greet voters, verifying registrations, issuing ballots, explaining voting equipment, and helping voters understand their options throughout the voting process.
The office also pointed out poll workers play a critical role in ensuring every polling place is welcoming and accessible for all voters, including those who need language assistance or accommodations for disabilities.
"Poll workers are incredibly important and crucial to Election Day," said Cano. "They are the ones that are out there from six in the morning till 9 or 10:00 at night, making sure that voters have an opportunity to vote in person. Without them, we don't have the staffing to staff polling locations. We wouldn't have folks there to assist the voters in determining where their polling location was at, getting them to register, casting their ballots, explaining to them new electronics or technology that's out there at the polls. They are really an extension of our office, and we honestly could not do it without them."
Cano indicated there were 732 poll workers countywide during the Primary Election that was held in June.
However, for the General Election that is set for Nov. 3, 2026, the Clerk-Recorder Office will be seeking an even greater amount of poll workers.
"The reason why we need more is because there will be more contests, more ballot types," said Cano. "There will be a little bit more confusion for the voters most of the time as to which precinct they need to go to, so the more people that we have to assist our voters, the easier that it is for them to have an enjoyable experience out of the polls."
Cano added poll workers will receive a financial stipend and they can range in age beginning with teenagers and all the way up, as long as they can perform the required duties.
"We have opportunities for even high school students to be student poll workers," said Cano. "There is no age limit. So you can be anywhere from 16-to-17-years-old from high school and then up to 120 years old. It doesn't matter. There is no absolute age limit. It is a long day. If you wanted to serve the entire day, it's normally 6 a.m. to at least 9 p.m. There are also opportunities to work half days, so from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. or from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and then the pay there is really minimal. It's more about doing your civic duty and assisting our voters."
With the recruitment now open, San Luis Obispo County is welcoming applicants from all backgrounds and also encourages bilingual community members, college students, and first-time poll workers to apply.
To learn more about becoming a poll worker in San Luis Obispo County or to apply, visit SloVote.com/pollworkers.
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