The San Luis Obispo County Elections Office is counting down the days to Election Day.
“We speak in ‘E-minus.’ As in ‘election minus,’” says Erin Clausen, Public Information Specialist with the County of San Luis Obispo Clerk-Recorder's Office.
It's now E-minus 12 days until Election Day, and between 500 and 600 local poll workers have been training for the big day and the days leading up to it.
Clausen says preparing the volunteers is like solving a big puzzle — sorting through applications and placing them in precincts around the county. Hundreds of local poll workers are then trained for three hours using standards set by California's Secretary of State.
Here’s what the poll workers learn:
2024 Poll Worker Training Standards by Section
- Section 1 – COVID-19 Poll Worker Safety
- Section 2 – Ensuring and Protecting the Rights of Every Voter
- Section 3 – Polling Place Hours
- Section 4 – Procedures for New Voters, Vote-by-Mail Voting, Provisional Voting, and Other Situations
- Section 5 – Assuring Security of and Troubleshooting Problems with Voting Technology
- Section 6 – Operation of Voting Technology
- Section 7 – Relevant Election Laws and Procedures
- Section 8 – Poll Worker Training Methods and Materials
Given the nature of this year’s election, Clausen says they want to make sure poll workers are equipped to handle any situation.
“Making sure they know how to react in a situation where someone might be upset about something — that’s just kind of where we are these days,” she explains. “Voters aren’t always happy when they come to the polls. A lot of times they are because that’s what they love to do. They’ve had 29 days to drop off their ballots but they still want to come to the polls, so we really train poll workers to be as pleasant, accommodating, and helpful as possible while sticking to all the codes and regulations that exist.”
There are a lot of people who help make Election Day run smoothly — clerks, inspectors, precinct assistants, security personnel, and more.
You have until Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. sharp to cast your vote.
Click here to find your nearest polling location. Keep in mind, your location may have changed due to redistricting.
