Ohio County Needs Poll Workers
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WHEELING -- Ohio County officials continue to seek at least 40 additional poll workers to work on Election Day.
Erin Allietta, coordinator of elections for Ohio County, updated county commissioners on election-related matters during their meeting this week.
"We still need about 40 poll workers to meet the requirements on Election Day," she said. "I am hoping to get at least 60 more, because there are always call-offs.
"In the primary election, there were call-offs and I had already gone through all my alternates. So there were precincts that had less than the requirement of poll workers."
State law requires five poll workers at each polling precinct, including at least two Democrats and two Republicans.
Past poll workers were sent letters asking if they wanted to work the upcoming election. That deadline isn't until the end of next week, and Allietta believes she will get more replies.
"The county is always looking for poll workers - whether there is an election or not," she added.
Those wanting to be poll workers should contact Allietta at 304-234-3628.
Poll workers will have to attend a training session, which is presently scheduled to take place at different times between Oct. 6-8 at Oglebay Park's Pine Room.
Poll workers in Ohio County are paid $270 for working Election Day, as well as an additional $30 for attending training.
In June, the county applied for and received a HAVA grant in the amount of $133,649 to buy new election machines, Allietta reported. The amount covered 40% of the cost of 47 machines that are expected to be delivered this week.
"These will not be ready by the (Nov. 3) general election, but they will be ready starting in the 2028 election cycle," she told commissioners.
Allietta said the office is still seeking interns to help with elections. One of three interns from the May primary election will be returning, but the other two will not, she said.
The Poplar Avenue Fire Station that houses Precinct 120 is not available for the Nov. 3 general election due to planned renovations, she told commissioners.
She informed commissioners she has calls out to a number of other facilities close by, but she has yet to hear back from any of them.
"Once I do hear back, you (Administrator Randy Russell) will be the first to know because we will have to send out letters to all those voters telling them their voting location has changed," Allietta continued. "That's not permanent. It's just for this election."