The push is on before November’s election to get enough people to work the polls in Georgia.
During the primaries earlier this year, voters waited for hours to cast their ballots. A lot of the wait had to do with polling place problems and not enough poll workers.
[Full County-by-County List Below]
Governments across the country have been scrambling to find people to staff polling places for the presidential election this fall as the coronavirus sows doubt about how safe it will be to cast a ballot in person, thinning out an already scarce pool of workers.
Recruitment efforts are increasingly targeting younger people, who are less at risk of developing serious illness from the virus, as officials and advocates aim strategies toward professional associations, students and sports teams to make sure election sites stay open.
Georgia Election Resources
- Key Dates for 2020 Elections in Georgia
- How Do I Register To Vote in Georgia?
- What To Know About Voting in Person in Georgia
- Where can I drop off my absentee ballot in metro Atlanta?
Experts say finding enough poll workers is always difficult, even when there isn’t a pandemic killing thousands of people, forcing widespread shutdowns and spawning a series of evolving safety rules. Normally, long hours, low pay and high stress might keep people away. Now add face shields, protective barriers and fears of getting sick.
More than two-thirds of poll workers are over age 61, putting them at higher risk of COVID-19. Scores of workers dropped out during this year’s primary season, taking with them decades of experience as the pandemic stifled efforts to train replacements.
As the election approaches, counties across north Georgia are looking for poll workers to help make the process run more smoothly in November.
Here’s how you can apply to be a poll worker in your county:
Statewide - Click here
Banks County – No poll workers needed
Barrow County - Click here
Bartow County - Click here
Carroll County - Click here
Chattooga County - Contact Teresa Pope at the Chattooga County Probate Judges office at 706-857-0709
Cherokee County - Click here
Clarke County - Click here
Clayton County - Click here
Cobb County - Click here
Coweta County – No poll workers needed
Dawson County – Contact your local elections office at 706-344-3640
DeKalb County – Click here
Douglas County – Click here
Fannin County – Contact the Board of Elections at 706-632-7740 for an application
Fayette County - Click here
Floyd County - Click here
Forsyth County - Click here
Fulton County - Click here
Gilmer County – No poll workers needed
Gordon County – Contact your elections office at (706) 629-7781
Greene County – Contact your elections office at 706-453-1108
Gwinnett County - Click here
Habersham County - Click here
Hall County - Click here
Haralson County - Click here
Heard County - Click here
Henry County - Click here
Jackson County - Click here
Jasper County – Contact your local elections office at 706–468-4908
Lamar County – Contact your local elections office at 770-358-5235
Lumpkin County – Contact your local elections office at 706-864-6279
Madison County - Click here
Meriwether County - Contact your local elections office at 706-672-1314
Morgan County - Click here
Newton County - Click here
Oglethorpe County - Click here
Paulding County – Click here
Pickens County – No poll workers needed
Pike County – Register through the state website
Polk County – Register through the state website
Putnam County – No poll workers needed
Rabun County – Click here
Rockdale County - Click here
Spalding County – Click here
Towns County – Contact your local elections office at 706-896-4353
Troup County – Contact your local elections office at 706-883-1610
Union County – Contact your local elections office at 706-439-6016
Walton County – Contact your local elections office at 770-267-1337
White County – No poll workers needed
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Cox Media Group
