County Employees as Election Workers

It is increasingly difficult to recruit and retain election workers. Election workers serve in many positions. Some election workers serve at assigned voter assistance centers while others transport ballots or assist receiving and processing materials returned from voter assistance centers on Election Night. Each year, Congress and/or the Legislature changes election laws, which require election workers to know more and make more decisions, which affect the integrity of the election.

The Board of Supervisors, as overseer of elections in the County of Humboldt, supports and commends election workers for their service and encourages other voters in the county to contribute to the democratic process by serving as election workers.

County Policy

The Board of Supervisors encourages county employees to serve as election workers. This is the acceptable basis for such service:

• On the request by an employee to volunteer as an election worker, the appointing authority shall determine whether to grant such time off in accordance with the needs of the department.
• The employee works as an election worker for either a) his/her normal day's compensation or b) takes a vacation, holiday, or comp day and additionally receives election worker compensation. Election worker compensation only applies to option B. The Board of Supervisors encourages appointing authorities to allow such time to be taken.
• Employees serving as election workers are allowed to attend the school of instruction with pay if it takes place during the employee's regular work hours and the employee has indicated that he/she will be an election worker for his/her normal day's compensation. The employee will not receive election worker compensation or mileage allowance for the day. Any employee who is taking the election day as a vacation, holiday, or comp day may use equivalent time as necessary to attend the school of instruction and will receive election worker compensation.
• Direct staff to inform county employees of the opportunity to work as election workers.

Approved November 9, 1999