HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — During the Georgia state primary election this year, the state of Georgia had a need for poll workers. This came as a large number of voters showed up at their voting precincts and some poll workers stayed away because of COVID-19.
You may not know the path to becoming a poll worker is pretty easy.
There is still time to fulfill your civic duty and become a poll worker for the 2020 Presidential election. You will have to go through a training, and you will make a little bit of money, but Stephanie Dixon says the job is a labor of love.
"My group always brings food, so we have doughnuts, we have soups," she said with a smile.
Dixon's worked as a poll worker for 12 years, and, sure, the food is great, but the sense of camaraderie keeps bringing her back in the door.
"We have a lot of older population in our precinct, so we get to hear their stories and talk to them every year, and they remember us and we remember them," she reminisced.
Andy Holland is with the Board of Elections in Houston County, but he says the requirements ring true wherever you want to work.
"To be a resident of the county that you're going to work in, be 16 years of age or older, be able to read write and speak English, and not be related to a candidate on the ballot," he stated.
You will get trained on the paperwork and machines.
That should take up about three hours of your time, but you do earn a paycheck for training -- $25 in Houston County -- and you will earn money for working on election day. In Houston, it starts at $115.
"We always train several backup workers," Holland said.
The backups are important because of COVID-19, but Holland says right now, the International City sits in good shape with about 180 to 200 people ready to spread out over their 16 precincts.
As for Dixon, she's just ready to see old friends this fall.
"It's like family," she said.