Election workers direly needed

The Sampson County Board of Elections is seeking people to work the polls in November. Holding a Presidential Election during a pandemic will require more resources, notably personnel, to ensure safety and sanitation.

The board met Thursday via Zoom, with Democrat Chairman Horace Bass, along with Democrat board member Charlotte Murphy and Republican board members Danny Jackson and Dwight Williams in attendance. Democrat G.H. Wilson was absent.

“We need a whole lot of people — anybody who is able, willing and wanting to do this job,” said Emily DeVane, local elections director. “We’re hoping to have 240 people.”

Currently, the county is well short of that amount.

The county will have five one-stop locations running for 17 days, and then on Election Day there will be 23 precincts that must be manned. The five sites are currently slated to be:

• Old Badcock Furniture building, 409 Southeast Blvd., Clinton

• NC Justice Academy, 200 W. College St., Salemburg

• Harrells Fire Dept Training Center, 915 Ward Road, Harrells

• Newton Grove Fire Station, 313 W. Weeksdale St., Newton Grove

• Plainview Fire Station, 5041 Plainview Highway, Dunn

The board previously set the one-stop voting schedule leading up to the Nov. 3 General Election. That will include voting opportunities for 17 straight days, extending from Thursday, Oct. 15, to Saturday, Oct. 31. The hours will be 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

DeVane said she has reached out to both the City of Clinton and Sampson County Public Works departments in hopes of putting a notice on water bills about the need for poll workers. DeVane has also been in contact with Sampson Community College to gauge interest from students.

“We have to put the emphasis on recruitment quick,” said Jackson.

According to DeVane, of the 140 who worked the primary election, 73 have confirmed they can work, while 12 declined and 55 did not respond. The county needs 72 additional people for this election, Bass said. Additional poll workers would be needed at each polling site to ensure proper social distancing and sanitizing, with the recommendation being to add four more people at each site in Sampson.

“The number of people she needs to get us through this election is way above normal,” Bass noted.

The Sampson County Board of Elections has received $96,421 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to pay for those additional costs. The Help America Vote Act will also offer reimbursements to counties that have to spend additional funds to hold the election, however the county will have to come up with the funds on the front end. DeVane said the reimbursements are offered at a range of $10,000 to $250,000, based on available funds.

On Thursday, Sampson County Finance officer David Clack informed elections board members that the board would have to prepare a budget amendment for any potential expenses that exceed the elections budget, to be considered by the Sampson County Board of Commissioners at an upcoming meeting.

In a July 17 emergency order, State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Bell ordered that counties open a minimum number of early in-person voting sites this fall as a way to buttress ballot access during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She cited her emergency powers during a “catastrophe arising from natural causes” and resulting in a disaster declaration for making changes before the high-stakes November election. The order also tells election workers that while they will have to wear face coverings at voting centers and Election Day precincts, voters will not be required to do so.

“If we do not take these measures, we risk much longer lines at voting sites and greater possibility of the spread of the coronavirus,” Bell said in a news release. “These are not acceptable risks in this important election year when we expect turnout to be high.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting and will continue to disrupt the normal schedule for this election cycle in every county in the state, and has impaired critical components of election administration,” Bell stated. “These impairments include significantly increasing the difficulty for county boards to identify and train adequate numbers of poll-workers and one-stop workers who can safely assist with in-person registration and voting activities, and allow for voters to cast ballots without subjecting themselves to serious health risks. To address these impairments, county boards of elections can take actions that reduce crowd density, shorten the time voters spend in line and at polling locations, and improve sanitation and cleanliness.”

According to Bell’s order, all county boards shall:

• Provide for social distancing at voting sites, including by applying appropriate markings and providing appropriate barriers, including barriers between elections officials and voters at check-in;

• Provide for frequent sanitation of common surfaces, hand-sanitizer, and single-use ballot-marking devices;

• Require that elections officials wear face coverings, and make face coverings available to voters who do not bring their own. Voters will not be required to wear a face covering to vote;

• Require face shields or partitions and gloves for all election officials where appropriate for the task.

To inquire about becoming a poll worker, contact the Sampson County Board of Elections at 910-592-5796 or email [email protected].