Early voting has begun. But where are all the Monroe County poll workers?

No one gets rich working at the polls on Election Day, when workers arrive long before sunup and stay into the evening.

In Monroe County, most poll jobs pay less than $10 an hour. Every election year, officials scramble to round up enough people, 300 of them, to staff the county's 30 voting sites.

This is Kylie Moreland’s first year as the county’s election supervisor. She wants poll workers to get a raise and is taking steps to get them one before ballots are cast in the May 7 presidential primary.

During a poll worker training session Thursday afternoon, a participant said unless the pay for Election Day is increased, they won't be at the polls. Moreland took the comment, which she’s heard before, to heart.

“We have multiple poll workers who have called us, and a few have already said if it’s not raised ... they will not be working this election,” Moreland said.

The complaints about election-day pay surfaced in light of the county council’s recent approval of raises for temporary workers hired to work at Election Central for early voting, which started April 9. Those employees now make between $20 and $33 an hour, depending on their job.  

During an April 10 meeting, Moreland told Monroe County commissioners there’s concern that $10 an hour won't attract enough people to staff the polls on Election Day.

She asked them to approve a pay hike for poll workers starting with next month's election.

It’s the county election board’s job to set poll-worker pay. Commissioner Penny Githens suggested they bring a proposal to the commissioners, so the election board scheduled a 3 p.m. April 15 meeting to address the issue.

How much do Monroe County poll workers get paid?

Election day poll clerks get a $135 paycheck and a $25 meal stipend for a 5 a.m.-to-7 p.m. workday, plus $14 to attend a one-hour training class. Three supervisors at each site earn a little more.

Under the county’s current statute, poll clerks and judges could be paid up to $145, and inspectors, up to $175. It’s unclear why some positions pay less.

Judges and inspectors also receive $35 for attending a two-hour training class. Each county polling place must have two judges on site, one Republican and one Democrat. Each has one inspector.

During presidential election years such as this one, each polling site also will have a sheriff present. The county statute says that person can make up to $125 but the current rate is $115.

Poll worker pay in nearby Bartholomew County is in line with the current pay scale in Monroe County. For example, a clerk working at a polling site in Columbus makes $171, which includes $26 for meals and $20 for training. Poll inspectors in the Columbus area receive a total of $201.

Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz said unlike Monroe County, she has no shortage of poll workers, and has substitutes trained and waiting in the wings if they are needed.

Lentz said poll workers are vital to the election process. “We haven’t had anyone complain about the pay, and we haven’t discussed that. But I’d say they all deserve a raise.”

Want to work the polls in Monroe County? Make a call

As of April 11, less than a month from Election Day, Monroe County still needed to hire and train 10 clerks, 10 judges and two inspectors who are registered Democrats.

Republicans are also seeking poll workers. When asked how many, Moreland paused before replying, “a lot of them.”

This election, each political party has someone appointed to recruit poll workers. Republicans interested in working on Election Day should contact Curt Durnil at 812-650-2878 or mcreppollrecruiter@gmail.com. Democrats can contact Orion Saft at 812-320-0389  or mcdempollrecruiter@gmail.com.

To qualify, a person must be a registered Monroe County voter. High school students who are 16 or 17 can work as well through the Hoosier Hall Pass program, a poll worker recruitment program through the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office.

Moreland said training sessions for all positions are scheduled up until the Saturday before Election Day on May 7.

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.