An election worker monitors the line, or lack there of, at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center on the first day of in-person early voting on Jan. 27.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
The number of election workers signed up by Tuesday approached the 100 Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans hopes to have on staff in time for the June 11 primary election.
"We are very close," she said on Thursday. "We received an additional 16 applications."
The poor turnout by election workers for the Presidential Preference Primary had Burgans concerned for the 2024 Election season.
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The effort to recruit election workers is on the 20-yard line and pushing to get across the line before the Tuesday deadline.
Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans said there are 80-85 election workers, so far, but she wants to get up to 100.
The Presidential Preference Primary only saw around 55 workers.
“I had to request help from other county department employees,” she said. “Though Douglas County employees are great and always willing to help, we try to get enough election workers to assist so we don’t have to short-hand the other departments.”
Election worker Kirk Walder said he has participated in the last three elections.
“It was a great experience for all the people in Douglas County to serve their county,” he said in a recruitment video.
Election workers are paid $12 an hour and are required to attend a paid four-hour training class and pass a test.
Three classes are 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. May 17 and 8 a.m. to noon May 18.
Poll workers are assigned to an election day location between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Additional shifts may be available during early voting.
Visit www.governmentjobs.com/careers/douglasconv to apply.
Douglas County commissioners are the only local candidates on the June 11 primary election Republican ballot.
There are several state and federal races on the ballot, but most of the county’s races will wait until the Nov. 5 general election.
