Mat-Su officials short more than a dozen volunteers ahead of Election Day
The borough relies on hundreds of Election Day workers to staff polling stations and count ballots.
What you need to know:
- The Mat-Su Borough needs at least 17 more workers to hand-count ballots after polls close on Nov. 4, plus two additional volunteers to help run polling stations during voting.
- Volunteers must attend training sessions before Election Day and are paid between $200 and $425, depending on their role.
- The hand-count process is expected to take less time than it did last year because voter turnout is anticipated to be lower, officials said.
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PALMER — Mat-Su officials are short more than a dozen workers needed to hand count ballots and run polling stations for next month’s borough election.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough needs at least 17 additional workers to tally ballots after polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 4, Borough Clerk Lonnie McKechnie said in an interview last week. Officials also need one more volunteer to oversee a polling station as a chairperson during the day and one more poll worker, she said.
Volunteers are required to attend training ahead of Election Day, McKechnie said. Poll worker trainings are scheduled between Oct. 29 and Oct. 31, depending on precinct assignment, according to the borough's website. Hand-count trainings are scheduled for Oct. 23 and Oct. 25 and include a practice ballot tally so volunteers can fully understand the process, she said.
Poll and hand-count volunteers are paid between $200 and $425, depending on the role, McKechnie said.
Individuals interested in volunteering as a poll worker or hand-count official must submit an application.
Poll workers, precinct chairs and hand-count officials serve vital roles on Election Day, overseeing polling stations and tallying ballots, McKechnie said. Poll workers are expected to volunteer over the entire election day from about 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; hand-count workers begin after polls close and work until all ballots are tallied, she said.
Hundreds of volunteers are needed to run each election, with over 130 of those dedicated to counting only, she said.
While hand-count officials worked well into the early hours of the morning following the 2024 election, McKechnie expects the job to be easier this year due to anticipated lower voter numbers and a streamlined process.
The 2024 election coincided with a presidential election and saw record turnout for the region. No national or statewide races are on this year’s ballots, which typically lead to lower participation, she said.
While a hand-count-only process was first used in Mat-Su in 2023, last year was the first time the process was used for an election that coincided with a state or national election that brought a large turnout. Volunteers complained that paper-counting machines, meant to help workers verify the total number of ballots, glitched and instead caused delays because they were unable to process the high volume of paper.
The Mat-Su Assembly earlier this year reaffirmed that borough ballots must be hand-counted only, without any technological support, including paper-counting machines.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com