Sarasota County’s election office is on a recruitment drive, and they’re looking for about a thousand people to staff the August 18 primary election. If you’re a registered voter in the county and you’re looking for a way to do something meaningful while getting paid, this could be your opportunity.
Poll workers fill essential roles on election day and during early voting periods. Some positions focus on managing voter registration and ballot processing, while others involve greeting voters, checking them in, or handling equipment at polling locations. You don’t need prior experience. The county provides mandatory training both online and in-person before election day. The compensation ranges from $240 to $350 depending on which position you take on.
The requirements are pretty straightforward: you must be a registered voter in Sarasota County (though students as young as 16 can apply as student poll workers), you need to be comfortable reading, writing, and speaking English fluently, and you should be physically capable of standing or sitting for extended periods and lifting up to 40 pounds with assistance. You’ll need email and internet access for the training component. On election day itself, you’ll commit to working from 6 a.m. until all voting procedures and closing processes are complete. Given that the application deadline is just one week away, interested candidates should apply without delay. Have you considered contributing to election day operations in your community?
