With 46 days to go until the general election, Pima County is in pretty good shape with nearly enough workers to help with elections-related jobs like early ballot drop off sites and working the polls.Β
While a poll worker shortage due to the pandemic has been a topic of discussion nationwide, Pima County Elections Director Brad Nelson says all 2,300 poll worker positions are already filled owing to the department's large pool of volunteers that's accumulated over the years.Β
"We have a large pool of poll workers in our pocket so to speak... it's not like we're starting from scratch every time," he says.Β
However, the elections department is still looking for registered Republicans to work as election aides to help with ballot processing.Β
In this role, a team of two people from different political parties open ballots and ensures they are in tip-top shape and ready for processing.Β
"There are instances where you open up that envelope and the ballot has been torn or something like that," Nelson says.Β
These positions pay $12.40 per hour for 40 hours per week from mid-October to mid-November.Β
The Pima County Recorder's Office also hires election aides to help with signature verification, couriering and monitoring early voting and ballot drop off sites, but the department says it's pretty close to filling the 100 positions available for those jobs.Β
Pima County recently launched a new initiative called Vote Safe, to encourage people to request early ballots and vote by mail to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The Vote Safe website is a one-stop resource for voting information including where to find your polling location, or places you can drop off your early ballot.Β
The deadline to register to vote in Pima County is Monday, Oct. 5. You can check your voter registration status here or register to vote here.Β
