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Nevada County seeks temporary election workers

Submitted to the Sun

It’s August and the 2024 November election season is in full swing.

Letters have been sent to community members who have participated in past elections and recruitment for temporary election workers and vote center pollsters is well underway.

“It’s already full steam ahead. We are working hard over the next couple of weeks to get fully staffed. I think this is going to be a pretty high turnout election,” said Natalie Adona, Clerk-Recorder/ Registrar of Voters. In July, she was sworn in as the Secretary of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO).



Adona remembers when she first served as an election worker in 2006. She’s been hooked ever since.

“I loved it because I got the opportunity to serve people that really just want to vote. The great reward is being able to serve your community, to be a part of elections and learn about the democratic process,” said Adona.



So far, Nevada County Elections has about half of the poll workers they need and will be working hard over the next couple of weeks to be at full capacity.

“We’re going to need to double what we have right now,” said Corey O’Hayre, Assistant Clerk-Recorder/ Registrar of Voters.

During the 2020 Presidential election, more than 90 people were recruited and during the 2024 Presidential Primary in March more than 70 people helped with the elections.

Leading up to Nov. 5 elections, temporary election workers provide extra support to staff by answering phones, verifying signatures on vote-by-mail envelopes and helping with candidate filings.

A Chance To Get Involved And Learn

“I like being involved with many community things. Voting is important to me,” said Barbara Wong, who manages a vote center in Truckee and believes in the integrity of federal, state and local elections.

“I think it’s good to understand the process. One of the ways to do that is to work the polls,” said Wong, who first signed up to be an elections center worker after the 2016 election and has signed up every year since.

“I think people should vote as part of their civic duty and their rights as an American,” she said.

For five years, Mary Ann Coleman has worked at local voting locations and for the past two years has managed the precinct board at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. She even braved the snow during the March Primaries.

Coleman moved to Nevada County in 2016 and says getting involved with elections was a great way to meet people and contribute to her new community.

Growing up in Kansas, she observed her mom work in elections during the 1960s and 1970s. A teacher for 41 years, Coleman says working as a pollster gives her a better understanding of U.S. elections.

“I wanted to see how elections work. I like to learn and I’ve learned a lot. I think it is pretty amazing how transparent our system is and how well it works,” she said.

What’s Required?

Signing up to be a poll worker is a commitment of up to 12 days (including training) and is a temporary paid position. There are nine vote centers in Nevada County – two in Truckee, six in Western Nevada County and a one-day “pop-up” center in North San Juan.

Good candidates for the role must be someone who can follow elections procedures, work on a team and be available. Applicants must get a passing grade on an online application, be a registered voter and show up for training. Each poll worker receives a pin and some poll workers are proud of their collection of pins. Multilingual applicants are always a plus.

“We could really use some Spanish-speaking workers,” said Adona.

High school students with a 2.5 GPA or higher and permission from their school and parents are also encouraged to apply. At an Aug. 12 meeting, members of the newly formed Nevada County Youth Commission voted to create an ad hoc committee to get out the vote.

“(Youth) were adamant about somehow participating in the upcoming election without straying into politics,” said Jeff Dellis, Youth Leadership Development Project Coordinator.

Get Out The Vote

All summer long, Nevada County Elections staff have been busy with educational outreach at community events like Nevada City Hot Summer Nights, Latino Family Night and the Grass Valley Thursday Market encouraging voters to check the status of their voter registration and sign up to be election workers.

“We have a small enough staff we all have to be aware of multiple things and do multiple things. I really enjoy being a part of it all and getting to work with all the people. It’s fun to be part of the community and talk to people about how to vote,” said O’Hayre.

Nevada County Elections is a nonpartisan office that serves the people by providing a legal, fair, transparent and efficient election.

There are approximately 75,000 registered voters in Nevada County, representing 91 percent of the people eligible to vote. In Mendocino County, close to 80 percent of eligible voters are registered and in Los Angeles that number is closer to 85 percent.

“We do pretty good. We’re doing better than Los Angeles but we’re not doing as well as Marin. I would imagine we’ll have more people register as we get closer to the elections,” said Adona.

For questions about voter registration status, visit voterstatus.sos.ca.gov and learn more about applying to be a vote center worker by visiting online at: nevadacountyca.gov/elections.

Laura Petersen is a freelance writer living in Grass Valley. This is one of a series of articles written on behalf of Nevada County. She can be reached at laurapetersenmedia@gmail.com.


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