Bilingual positions available; officers can earn up to $200 while serving the community and seeing ‘democracy in action’
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters’ Office has issued a call for 5,000 to 6,000 election officers to serve in the 824 polling places for the June 5, 2018 Statewide Direct Primary Election.
To best serve the diverse population of Silicon Valley, bilingual support is sought in 19 different languages. In addition to Election Day workers, the Registrar’s office is hiring full-time temporary positions for its Early Vote Centers that open 10 days before the election. These officers will receive three weeks of training to operate the seven full-service facilities around the county. Previous clerical experience is required for Early Vote Center workers.
Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey emphasized that state and federal election laws require bilingual poll staff based on the percentage of the population who speak languages other than English at home.
“We strive to ensure that voters receive assistance in their mother tongue when needed,” Bushey said.
Election Officers will be stationed at polling places throughout the County on Election Day to answer procedural questions and otherwise help voters exercise their voting rights.
“Engaging sufficient numbers of election officers is essential to serving our diverse society,” Bushey said. “At the same time, spending a day as an election officer is an outstanding way to see and support democracy in action.”
Bilingual individuals are needed who speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese), Tagalog, Korean, Russian, Farsi, Punjabi, Japanese, Hindi, Telugu, Portuguese, Khmer, Syriac, Tamil, Gujarati and Nepali.
Anyone can be an election officer as long as they are a U.S. citizen and registered voter, a legal permanent resident 18 or older, or high school student at least 16 years old. Election officers will receive a stipend of up to $200 for their services, including a bonus for being bilingual. Training is provided and classes will begin soon. Early Vote Center applicants have additional vetting as potential County employees and are especially encouraged to apply immediately.
Media outlets that would like to capture footage of election officer recruitment or training should call the Registrar of Voters’ media line at 408-282-3008.
For more information about election officers or Early Voting Center positions, contact the Registrar of Voters’ Office at 1-408-299-POLL (7655). Online sign-up for election officers is available under the “Volunteer” tab at www.sccvote.org.