Ingham County clerks recruit more poll workers ahead of November election

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope say they need additional poll workers ahead of November's election, as Michigan's expanded early voting period adds new staffing demands. Nearly 2,000 poll workers took part in the state's August primary, according to Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie, but clerks statewide continue to face shortages.

Byrum said the August primary featured a 22-inch, two-sided ballot in Ingham County, underscoring the ongoing need for more poll workers. Swope said Lansing filled about 350 of roughly 475 available shifts for the primary and will need up to 100 more workers for November, drawing on both returning and new recruits.

Michigan's nine-day early voting period requires additional staff to run early voting centers, operate equipment and process ballots daily, officials said. Absentee ballot verification and counting, once concentrated on Election Day, now stretches across multiple days, and larger ballots slow tabulation and require more trained workers.

Swope said Lansing assigns workers by political party and is especially seeking Republicans, since the city tends to have more Democratic poll workers. Byrum noted that city and township clerks hire and train their own poll workers, keeping elections locally run. Residents interested in serving can sign up through their local city or township clerk's office.

Read the full story at wkar.org.