Contact:
Warren Slocum
Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Phone: (650) 363-4988 Fax: (650) 363-1903 E-mail: wslocum@smcare.org

Alternate
David Tom
Phone: (650) 312-5222 E-mail: dtom@smcare.org
Web: www.shapethefuture.org   www.smcare.org

Precinct Operations Classes Begin
Poll Workers head back to class to prepare for the November 7th Election

(Redwood City, CA) – This year, the San Mateo County poll workers are reporting to class, not once, but twice,  to prepare to conduct the November 7th Gubernatorial General Election.  In the first class, they learned how to setup, operate and facilitate voting using the new eSlate electronic voting system.  In this second round of classes, poll workers will review Precinct Operations and new laws.  The Precinct Operations classes began on Monday and will continue throughout the month of October for the County’s 2,500 precinct officers.

The Precinct Operations class is a shorter class; it focuses on the procedures required in the California Elections Code, and gives the poll worker all the tools they need to properly open, operate and close the polls on Election Day.  The code is so precise that voters will find little differences in their voting experience if they were to move and vote in a different locality.

“If you ever wonder how our poll workers know what to do on Election Day—wonder no more!  We offer more than 60 Precinct Operations classes in the month of October.  The classes are held at varying times and in most cities in the County,” explained Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum.  “We try to make these classes as convenient as possible for our poll workers.”

“Poll workers that serve on Election Day are paid $25 for the training and an additional $80 stipend for working at the polls.  This year, we’re paying an additional $50 for the four-hour mandatory eSlate training, too,” said Slocum. 

“The key to having a successful Election Day experience for our voters is to have well-trained poll workers.  They are the ambassadors at the polls.  They greet the voters, check the roster,

manage the equipment, account for the ballots, keep order, and follow the election code that preserves the voting rights of all citizens regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, language or ability,” Slocum explained.  “We depend on them.”

Anyone interested in serving as a poll worker is encouraged to contact the Elections Office by calling (650) 286-2810 or signing up online at www.shapethefuture.org .  Poll workers must be 18 years of age, a registered voter and able to speak English. 

Every year the Elections Office must recruit new people to work at the polls.  “We are always looking for new people to join the San Mateo County Poll Worker Corp.  A few people retire, others move, and while others take on new responsibilities that make it impossible for them to continue, but the vast majority of our poll workers stay active and serve for years and years.  They are among the finest human beings I know.  I am very proud to work with them and serve this County on Election Day,” Slocum remarked.

I want to encourage anyone who might be interested in serving at the polls to contact us today,” said Slocum.  “Being part of Election Day is a way of watching how we peacefully reinvent our country, one vote at a time, one election at a time.  We have an amazing tradition,” Slocum said, reflecting on the process.

Precinct Operations Class Schedule