WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Monroe County is in need of volunteer poll workers for the November 8th election. At an Election Board meeting last week, Election Supervisor, Laura Dahncke; and Board Chair, Carolyn VandeWiele, reviewed the number of poll workers needed, and how volunteers can sign up.
Dahncke went into specifics as far as what was needed: “As of yesterday, our Democratic recruiter had 78 open spots out of 180 spots, so he’s over halfway filled up. And our Republican recruiter has 28 spots out of 135, so he’s really close to being full up. We have contacted all of our past workers and have exhausted that list. So at this point, we are looking for new workers, new recruits. If anyone has anybody who might be interested in working the polls, they should contact our office and we will put them in touch with the appropriate recruiter.”
The phone number for the Monroe County Clerk’s office is 812-349-2614. Training Specialist, Sherry Morris, said training for poll workers begins Wednesday, October 26th.
She specified the training schedule and how many slots are available to train: “Training is actually going to begin two weeks prior to the election. The first week typically is the training for the inspectors and judges. We have 10 sessions scheduled – 6 daytime, 4 evenings and weekends – and that starts Wednesday, October 26. And for clerks, that’s normally the week before election day. We have 14 sessions on the schedule – 7 daytime, 7 evenings and weekends – and that starts officially November 1st. We have about 80 percent of the individuals already recruited to work the polls scheduled in training. It’s going very well.”
Election Board Chair, Carolyn VandeWiele, said citizens have until October 11th, which is tomorrow, to register to vote, and can do so in person at the voter registration office at 401 West 7th Street in Bloomington. She also reviewed who can vote by mail.
The deadline to request a ballot by mail is October 31st, but VandeWiele emphasized voters waiting until the last minute risk the ballot not being delivered on time.
Early voting at Election Central begins this Wednesday, October 12th and takes place through the 21st. Election Central is located at 401 W. 7th Street and will be open for voting from 8am to 6 pm.
Beginning October 24th, a second early voting location will be open in the North Showers Building, Rooms 201 and 202. Voters can find more information at monroecountyvoters.us.
