What is an Officer of Election?
· Officers of Election staff polling places on Election Day to assist voters and ensure that the elections are run in an honest and well-organized manner.
Who is eligible to become Officer of Election?
· You must be a registered voter in the Commonwealth of Virginia who is at least 18 years of age.
· You don’t have to live in the jurisdiction where you work as an Officer of Election.
· You are detail-oriented, capable of working in a fast-paced environment, as part of a team.
· You cannot be an elected official or paid employee of an elected official.
Duties of an Election Officer
· Arriving at the polling place at 5:00 a.m. Election Day
· Setting up voting machines and signs to prepare for the voters
· Verifying voter eligibly and record voter attendance in poll books
· Distributing ballots to voters
· Directing voters to voting booths…ensuring their ability to privately mark and cast their ballots
· Answering questions about the electoral process
· End of the day — tally results, secure the equipment, and close the polling place.
Training class
· Officers of Election are required to attend a training class prior to each Election.
· The classes are approximately an hour long and are held at the Roanoke County Registrar’s Office at 900 Chestnut St., Vinton.
· Training schedules are mailed at least a month prior to each Election.
Are Officers of Election paid?
· If you attend the training session and work Election Day you are paid $195, which is more than other area jurisdictions.
We try to place Officers of Election at their own polling place.
· However, if no vacancies are available, you may be asked to work at another precinct. Precinct assignments are issued 4 to 6 weeks before an election.
Virginia has elections every year
· Each year, General Elections are on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
· Primaries, when called, are held on the third Tuesday in June.
· Occasionally special elections are called.
Becoming an Officer of Election is easy.
· If you are interested in becoming an Officer of Election or have questions, contact the Roanoke County Registrar’s Office at 540-772-7500, ask for Delores, or email elections@roanokecountyva.gov.
Our current election officers have some interesting thoughts as to why they do it.
· LADY – “Elections are an essential part of our democracy and it’s important to be a part of that. This is a great way to serve your country and community.”
· GENTLEMAN – “There is just something special about voters, especially new voters casting their vote for the first time. Just seeing their eyes when the ballot goes through. That’s really impressive.”
· LADY – “You feel like you are involved with our government. To me, that’s exciting to know that I was part of the vote that they showed on TV.”
· GENTLEMAN – “I’m a retired military guy and I saw it as my civic duty to get involved.”
