Some Illinois counties are facing dire shortages of election workers ahead of early voting, prompting increased pay for poll workers and ramped-up recruitment of volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With early voting beginning Oct. 19, election officials anticipate many poll workers dropping out if there’s a coronavirus resurgence in the fall. In addition to implementing higher wages and new virtual outreach methods, city and suburban authorities have shifted from enrolling older voters as judges to trying to recruit younger populations who are less vulnerable to the virus.
But even with new initiatives, success has varied from county to county.
“Response has been a little weak, frankly, and that seems to be consistent among my peers as well,” said Joseph Tirio, the McHenry County clerk. “Even if you’re not part of the most susceptible group (for COVID-19), people are still concerned.”
The concern has been felt on a national level as well. On Tuesday, the DuPage County clerk’s office doubled election judge pay in light of “a critical shortage” in the United States because of COVID-19, according to a county news release. Now, DuPage poll workers should receive $260 on Election Day and $20 an hour during early voting. The extra pay will come from funds from the federal government’s coronavirus relief package.
Chicago and Cook County also have increased poll worker wages this year. Chicago increased its Election Day flat rate from $170 to $230, and the county plans to pay election judges $200 for Election Day and $150 a day during the early voting period.
Cook County has done more than normal to recruit election workers and it’s paying off, said John Mirkovic, a clerk’s office spokesperson. The county has more than 5,000 workers signed up toward its 8,000 goal and has been getting “a lot of interest” from high schoolers who don’t have school on Election Day.
Last-minute dropouts remain a prevalent concern, especially during the pandemic.
During the state primary in March, city and suburban election officials had to scramble to find new poll workers after COVID-19 began spreading in the area. The primary has served as a cautionary tale for officials leading up to Election Day.
“We had a lot of judges drop off in the weeks before the primary,” said Adam Johnson, chief deputy of the DuPage County clerk’s office. “We had to make a last-minute increase to judge pay just to stop the bleeding. We anticipate that it’s going to be a challenge, especially if the virus does flare back up going into the fall.”
Many counties are aiming to have reserve poll workers in place to prevent last-minute disarray.
After “aggressive recruitment,” Will County has already filled its election judge slots and doesn’t have plans in place to increase pay, according to Charles Pelkie, chief of staff for the county clerk’s office. But despite the county’s recent success, officials remain wary heading into the fall and plan to keep recruiting.
“I don’t think anybody wants to appear in any way, shape or form boastful about this because we recognize that things can turn on the drop of a dime,” Pelkie said. “We recognize there are going to be cancellations, there are always cancellations, and if the pandemic worsens we could be in a different situation.”
Lake County officials also deemed the retention of workers their main concern. The county, like others in the Chicago area, implemented virtual classes to prevent contact during election training, though volunteers are still required to come in to certain locations to learn about the equipment in person.
“That is really the only concern right now is making sure that we do have enough judges to staff all of the Election Day voting sites,” said Todd Govain, chief deputy for the Lake County clerk’s office. “Most of them are seniors and they are in that bracket considered most vulnerable (to COVID-19).”
City and suburban election officials said they’re buying personal protective equipment and other safety supplies to keep polling places clean and staffers healthy. Counties have also encouraged mail-in voting, which is expected to reach record highs, to prevent long lines or confusion on Election Day.
County officials are urging voters to contact their local election authority to volunteer as election judges. Mirkovic said Cook County is optimistic and the community might see a “surge of people” who recognize the need for more workers in the weeks to come.
“The ones that were in place in March were real stalwarts,” added Tirio, of McHenry County. “I mean, they see this as a need for their community and a responsibility for their community, almost a religious crusade. But my fear is that when the day comes, there’s going to be too few of them.”
