Sky Schaudt/KJZZ

Voters at the Paradise Valley Community College polling station on Aug. 4, 2020.

It’s National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, and in Maricopa County, election officials are looking for roughly 1,800 people to help run polling places from October through Election Day.

The lead up to the primary election in August was marked by fears of a shortage of poll workers, a typically elderly population that’s at-risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials responded to those concerns in part by limiting the number of polling places throughout Maricopa County.

Erika Flores, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Elections, said there’s plenty of interest in poll working gigs heading into November. Candidates just want to be assured of a safe working environment, she said. 

“We do encourage anyone who does have any concerns about potentially working with us to talk to their health care provider, and see if this would be a good fit for them to come work with us at the vote centers,” Flores said. “But we do want to make sure that everybody knows that we do have those safety measures in place.”

Poll workers, who get paid between $12 and $13.50 per hour, will be assigned to voting centers staffed by about 10 workers each. Flores said the county has specifically targeted larger-than-usual voting sites to accommodate more voters, but also to assure safe physical distances between votes and poll workers alike.

Candidates must be at least 18 years old and registered to vote in Maricopa County.

Those hired must also agree to wear personal protective equipment like face shields.

For more information on Maricopa County poll working jobs, go to training.maricopa.vote or email [email protected].