• A poll worker shall be a voter of the state.
• The poll worker may serve only in the precinct for which his or her appointment is received.
• A student may be appointed (refer to Student Poll Worker Program information below) as a poll worker. However, an elections official may appoint not more than five students per precinct to serve under the direct supervision of precinct board members designated by the elections official.

Student Poll Worker Program

California Elections Code section 12302 allows eligible students to be appointed as poll workers on Election Day. As poll workers, students learn first hand the importance of participating in the electoral process. In addition, they provide much needed support at polling place locations.

In order to eligible to be appointed as a poll worker, a student must be:

• A United States citizen;
• At least 16 years of age at the time of the election in which he or she will be serving;
• A high school student with a grade point average of at least 2.5 (based on a 4.0 scale);
• A student in good standing, attending a public or private secondary educational institution.

In addition to gaining experience in the electoral process, students can also be paid between $40 and $80 for service (each county sets its own pay scale, but stipends generally fall within this range).

For more information, please contact your county elections official.

State Employees

Government Code section 19844.7 allows state employees to take time off, without loss of pay, to serve as poll workers on Election Day.

Regulations:

• Employee shall be eligible for both regular state compensation and the fee paid by the Registrar of Voters for serving as a poll worker.
• Eligibility of a state employee to serve at the polls is subject to approval by the employee's manager or supervisor.
• Employee seeking release time to work at the polls shall provide sufficient notice to allow department to maintain adequate coverage and meet operational needs.
• Verification of service as a poll worker on Election Day may be required by the appointing authority by requiring the employee to provide written verification of service from the Registrar of Voters, including the name of the employee serving and the date of the election.

For more information, please contact your county elections official.

Poll Worker Training Information

Pursuant to California Elections Code section 12309.5, the Secretary of State was directed to appoint a task force "to study and recommend uniform guidelines for the training" of election poll workers.

The Task Force consisted of the chief elections officers of the two largest counties, the two smallest counties, and two other county elections officers selected by the Secretary of State. The Task Force included eight other members with elections expertise, including members of community-based organizations and citizens familiar with different ethnic, cultural, and disabled populations.

Recommendations of the Task Force 2005 (PDF | Word)