The 2020s haven’t been the easiest time to work in Georgia elections. Many local poll workers quit or retired after the fraught presidential election of 2020. But despite some concerns about a shortage of poll workers for the 2024 election cycle, Atlanta metro area elections offices say they won’t have a problem staffing precincts for the upcoming presidential primary.
Local election officials say that they either have a full roster or expect to have one by the March 12 election day. Some workers are already employed during the early voting period, which began Feb. 19.
“We’re really lucky in that Cobb County has a wealth of poll workers,” said Tate Fall, Cobb County’s elections director. According to Fall, her county needs about 2,000 poll workers for the presidential primary and has about 7,000 potential workers in its database. Because of the surplus, Cobb is sending a dozen workers to assist in northern Fulton County.
Fulton County officials also say they’re ready for the primary, after implementing several new measures to attract poll workers, including increased social media posting and recruitment fairs.
“Our staff has made significant efforts to ensure a sufficient number of poll workers have been recruited to manage our elections,” Fulton County Department of Registration & Elections staff wrote in an email to Atlanta Civic Circle.
Gwinnett County says its election worker staffing is holding steady at the same level as for the 2022 elections. “We don’t anticipate difficulties,” said Gwinnett County spokesperson Deborah Tuff.
Clayton and DeKalb County elections offices did not respond to requests for comment.
The ‘Great Resignation’
Serving as a poll worker is not an easy job. On election day, they work a 14-hour day or longer, arriving at their assigned precinct well before polls open at 7 a.m. and leaving after they close at 7 p.m.
Pay varies by county. In Clayton, for instance,
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