Before you show up to cast your ballot on Election Day, poll workers wake up at 5 a.m. to head to Marion County’s 183 vote centers. They’ll set up check-in tables, power up voting machines and make sure the polling place is accessible to every kind of voter.
Poll workers can earn more than $200 for the service they’re doing, and you can sign up to be one. You can work at one of Marion County’s nine early voting sites starting in October or work on Election Day Nov. 3. To sign up, click the green “Get started” button on this indy.gov page.
There are three types of poll workers: Clerks, student poll workers and inspectors.
Clerks are the folks who greet you when you walk into a vote center and check you in. They are not required to go to poll worker training with the Marion County Election Board, but they are encouraged to. Clerks can earn up to $150 a day, plus an extra $30 if they complete training.
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Student poll workers have the same duties as clerks and can make the same amount of money. To sign up as a student, you have to be at least 16 years old, have a 3.0 GPA and get permission from a parent and a school official.
Inspectors are in charge of vote centers. They are required to do two hours of training and earn $240 for a full Election Day, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. No previous experience as a poll worker is required, but often, inspectors serve as clerks for one or two elections before taking on the bigger role.
To be eligible to serve as a poll worker in Marion County, you have to:
- Be registered to vote, unless you’re a high school poll worker.
- Have reliable transportation.
- Work a full day on Election Day as an inspector. Clerks can work half or full days.
You can sign up to be a poll worker up until Election Day on Nov. 3. In Marion County, the Election Board typically has fewer Republicans sign up to be poll workers.
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Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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