California launches poll worker portal ahead of Nov. 3 election
FILE - A voter casts her ballot during Virginia's primary election, March 1, 2016, at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Leesburg, Virginia. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The California Secretary of State's Office announced the launch of a portal Friday that allows state residents to sign up to work as a poll worker in their county for the Nov. 3 general election.
Residents are eligible to serve as poll workers if they are registered California voters and legal residents of the U.S. who would be eligible to vote if not for their citizenship status.
Some high school students are also eligible to become poll workers, provided they meet multiple criteria like being at least 16 years old on election day, having a GPA of 2.5 or above and attending a public or private high school.
"As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, poll workers will play a critical role in our democracy," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. "County elections officials depend on reliable, dedicated teams of poll workers to make every election day run smoothly."
Poll workers are paid for their work, with rates varying by county. Completing a poll worker application also does not guarantee selection as demand also varies county-to-county.
Residents who are eligible to be a poll worker can visit pollworker.sos.ca.gov to apply. Multi-lingual residents are particularly needed as poll workers, according to Padilla.