Help Wanted: Does An Improving Economy Hurt Poll Worker Recruitment?

[Image courtesy of stetsonkpatton]

Last week’s federal jobs report was once again at center stage, as a stronger-than-expected number reignites national discussions about whether or not the American economy is gaining strength – and if so, who gets the credit and/or blame.

But in one Georgia county, there is a suggestion that what’s good for the economy nationally might not be good for local election offices. WSB-2 Atlanta has more:

Elections officials in Gwinnett County said they do not have enough workers to man the polls for the upcoming primary.

The elections director said she believes there’s a shortage because the economy is improving.

As Kay Salmon headed in to vote early in Lawrenceville, she was easily outnumbered by the poll workers waiting to help. But that won’t likely be the case when voters go to the polls May 20 to vote for everything from council races to candidates for governor and senate.

“We’ve had a little bit of a shortage compared to past years,” said Gwinnett County Elections Director Lynn Ledford.

Gwinnett is still struggling to find enough people to work its 156 polling sites. At least 100 more workers are needed.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the economy. It’s starting to come back a little bit so the people we’ve had previously can no longer work because they are working,” Ledford said.

While this economic relationship isn’t necessarily a given – Ledford herself noted that the state’s earlier May primary may just have conflicted with family and school schedules – it does indicate that the traditional model of paying poll workers to serve on Election Day might not work when individuals can make more money for a permanent job.

I’ve blogged in the past about Virginia’s program for allowing poll workers to work for free in order to simplify tax paperwork. In addition, there is a growing body of thought that job satisfaction is not usually driven by pay but by other factors related to whether a worker feels like she has the freedom and skill to do her job well.

What all of this suggests is that – whether or not poll work is actually affected by the economy – it might be time for the field to examine new and different ways to recruit (and retain) help at the polls.