Poll Worker Requirements

1. State Registration Requirement (Exceptions may be found in Student Election Assistant category)

Must be a qualified registered elector.

25 P.S. § 2672(a) (Thomson/West 2020).

2. Age Requirement

18 years of age.

25 P.S. § 2811 (Thomson/West 2020)

3. Residency Place and Term Required for Voter Registration

Commonwealth and election district resident for at least 30 days preceding election.

25 P.S. §2811(3) (Thomson/West 2020)

4. Residency Requirement for Service (State, County or Precinct)

Election District.

25 P.S. § 2672 (a) (Thomson/West 2020).

Certain vacancies may be filled by other registered voters from within the party.

25 P.S. § 2675(c) (Thomson/West 2020).

5. Affiliation with Political Party Requirement and Process for Nomination as Poll Worker

Judges and Inspectors are elected at municipal elections; clerks and machine operators

are appointed by inspectors.

The judge and inspectors of election of each election district shall be elected at the

municipal election. Each elector may vote for one person as judge and for one person as

inspector, and the person receiving the highest number of votes for judge shall be

declared elected judge of election, the person receiving the highest number of votes for

inspector shall be declared elected majority inspector of election, and the person

receiving the second highest number of votes for inspector shall be declared elected

minority inspector of election. 25 P.S. § 2671 (Thomson/West 2020).

Where officers are appointed, “both shall not be of the same political party at the time of

said appointment, but one shall be of the party having the largest number of votes and the

other shall be of the party having the second largest number of votes in said district at the

last preceding November election . . . . The judge of election shall . . . be of the political

party having the majority of votes in said district at the last preceding November election.”

25 P.S. § 2675(a) (Thomson/West 2020)

Where voting machines are not used, each inspector shall appoint one clerk. Where a voting machine is used the minority inspector shall appoint one clerk. Where more than one voting machine is used, the minority inspector shall appoint one clerk and the county board of elections shall appoint, for each additional machine, one qualified registered elector of the county to serve as machine inspector. The qualifications of clerks and machine inspectors shall be the same as those for election officers.* 25 P.S. Ann § 2674 (Thomson/West 2020).

*Note: Since no voting machines are used in Pennsylvania, the Department of State has regarded this provision as applicable to electronic voting systems. Moreover, the Department views these requirements as a floor, not a ceiling. To ensure smooth operation at the polling place, the Department encourages counties to split their poll books in as many divisions as make sense, and appoint clerks to check in voters for each portion of the poll book. Marian K. Schneider, Deputy Secretary of Elections and Administration (2016).

6. Term Requirements

The judge and inspectors of each election district are elected and hold office for 4 years. 25 P.S. § 2671 (Thomson/West 2020).

Election officers may be appointed if there is a vacancy, for the rest of the term, but outof-precinct officials are appointed for one day (at a time) only. Vacancies in district election boards that occur at least 5 days before a primary or election must be filled by the county Court of Common Pleas. Vacancies that occur less than 5 days before a primary or election must be filled by the county board of elections from a pool of qualified and trained poll workers. Positions filled in this manner are deemed vacant the day after the primary or election. 25 P.S. § 2675 (Thomson/West 2020).

7. Compensation and Hour Requirements

In all counties regardless of class, judges of election, inspectors of election, clerks and

machine operators shall be paid compensation as fixed by the county board of elections for

each election, which amount shall be at least $75 and not more than $200. 25 P.S. § 2682.2 (a)

(Thomson/West 2020).

$20 extra for transmitting ballot boxes.

25 P.S. § 2682.2 (d) (Thomson/West 2020).

Part Time Possible,

25 P.S. § 2682.2(b) (Thomson/West 2020).

8. Training, Certification and Oath Requirements

The Pennsylvania Secretary of State has developed a voluntary poll worker training

program.

25 P.S. § 2621(f)(1) (Thomson/West 2020).

Oath required.* 25 P.S. § 2676 (Thomson/West 2020). *Oaths are enumerated in 25 P.S. § 2677 to § 2680 (Thomson/West 2016).

It is the authority and duty of each election board to train election workers. 25 P.S. § 2642(g) (Thomson/West 2020).

9. Elected Public Officials Prohibited

No person shall be qualified to serve as an election officer who shall hold, or shall within

two months have held, any office, appointment or employment in or under the

Government of the United States or of this State or of any city or county or poor district,

of any municipal board, commission or trust in any city, save only district justices,

notaries public and persons in the militia service of the State.

25 P.S.. § 2672(a); Pa. Const. Art. VII, §12 (Thomson/West 2020).

10. Candidates Prohibited

Election officers are not eligible for any civil office to be voted for at a primary or

election at which he shall serve, except that of an election officer.

25 P.S. § 2672(a) (Thomson/West 2020).

11. The Effect of Felon Status on Participation

Conviction for offenses under the Election Code carries a penalty of disenfranchisement

for four years, so those who are convicted of election-related crimes (which can be either

felony or misdemeanor) would also be disqualified as election officials.

25 P.S. § 3552(Thomson/West 2020).

12. The Effect of Mental Incapacitation on Participation

No Constitutional or statutory disqualification found.

13. English Fluency and Literacy Requirement

No Information Available.

14. Good Reputation Requirement

No Information Available.

15. Alternative Positions with Different Requirements

Overseers of Election.

Must be qualified to serve on an election board, but do not have to attend training. Two

judicious sober and intelligent electors of the district who belong to different political

parties. Five or more registered electors must petition that appointing overseers is a

reasonable precaution to secure the purity and fairness of any primary or election in said

district.

25 P.S. § 2685 (Thomson/West 2020).

16. Student Election Assistant Statute

County board of elections can appoint 2 students per precinct who must be:

• at least 17 at the time of the election;

• a resident of the county;

• enrolled in a secondary educational institution with exemplary academic record as

determined by the educational institution;

• approved by the principal/director of the secondary educational institution; and

• have obtained the consent of their parent or guardian; but

• Students cannot serve as a judge or inspector of elections.

25 P.S. § 2672(b) (Thomson/West 2020).

Polling Location Etiquette

When you attend a polling location, there are legal boundaries to what poll watchers, poll workers, and election officials can and can't do. Likewise, your conduct as a member of the voting public is governed by those laws. Below are the prohibitions that apply to polling locations in the state of Pennsylvania.

25 Pa. Stat. § 3060 requires any ongoing campaign activities take place at least 10 ft. from the polling place. Prohibited materials include campaign materials/Signs/Banners/Literature and prohibited activities include influencing voters/soliciting votes/political persuasion.

Oftentimes, supporters of campaigns and the candidates themselves will be outside select polling sites. As a voter, you may take any of the flyers, literature, handouts, or cards into the polling place as a reference. As you may imagine, if you do so and begin campaigning for your preferred candidate(s), that is against the law.

The sections below detail the steps necessary to get involved in your local election scene.

Fayette County, PA
Republican Committee