By 1812Blockhouse
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, as of Wednesday there are 32,310 poll workers committed to participating in democracy and working the special election on August 8. As of the same ate, 50 counties have not met their goal set for committed poll workers.
Counties still in need of poll workers include Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Butler, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Highland, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Licking, Lorain, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Meigs, Montgomery, Noble, Paulding, Pike, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, and Wood.
Of these 50 counties, 27 of them have met the minimum number of poll workers needed to conduct the election and 38 counties have met or exceeded their goal for committed number of poll workers.
Richland County is one of those where the goal has been met.
While many Ohio counties have passed the minimum number of poll workers needed to conduct the election, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose set a goal of 115% of the minimum needed to ensure a sufficient number of poll workers is available in every county in case of an unforeseen circumstances.
In an effort to engage the next generation of poll workers from traditional and non-traditional sources, the office of public affairs engaged nearly 100 different statewide and regional membership organizations, companies, labor unions, and grassroots voting rights groups to help spread the word on poll worker recruitment. Utilizing the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office’s poll worker tool kit, the office encouraged these organizations to help spread the word among their members, employees, and colleagues to help build on Ohio’s strong record of election administration.
Ohioans looking to serve as a poll worker may sign up at VoteOhio.gov/DefendDemocracy. Poll workers are financially compensated for their time on Election Day.
The county breakdown can be seen on Ohio’s Poll Worker Tracker. The tracker, which was started in 2020 by Secretary LaRose, continues to give Ohioans, counties, and partner organizations clear goals for poll worker recruitment for the August 8 Special Election.
Each election, thousands of Ohioans dedicate themselves to sustaining the backbone of democracy — our election process. Poll workers help ensure that our elections are fair, and in doing so, maintain the traditions of our past and our hope for the future.
In an effort to continue providing voters with unprecedented levels of transparency, Secretary LaRose is providing Ohioans with weekly poll worker updates as reported by the 88 county boards of elections. Sharing the data also allows Ohio counties to be held accountable as the fall election approaches.
Reminder: Ohio voters statewide will only be voting on State Issue 1 on August 8, which elevates the standards to qualify for and pass amendments to Ohio’s constitution. A sample of the ballot language on State Issue 1 can be found here
The Secretary of State encourages voters to have a plan before going out to vote, which includes confirming your polling location. Before casting a ballot in person, Ohioans can confirm their polling location by clicking here.
Poll Worker Recruitment by the Numbers:
- Goal for Committed and Trained Poll Workers: 31,811
- Minimum Poll Workers Required: 27,587
- Current Number of Committed Poll Workers: 32,310
- Ohio counties have met our statewide goal, but 50 counties still need to meet their local goal
- Approximately 24,520 poll workers have already completed their training or are not required to attend training for this election.
These were Richland County’s numbers as of Wednesday:
| County | Goal for Committed Poll Workers | Minimum Number of Poll Workers Needed | Total Poll Worker Sign Ups | Remaining Democratic Poll Workers Needed to Meet Goal | Remaining Republican Poll Workers Needed to Meet Goal | Remaining Other Poll Workers Needed to Meet Goal | Remaining Poll Workers Needed to Meet Goal Regardless of Party Affiliation |
| Richland | 196 | 170 | 222 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Ohio Secretary of State
