Secretary Of State Recruiting Upper Cumberland Poll Workers

Secretary of State Tre Hargett said the need is high for poll workers in the Upper Cumberland region.

Hargett has launched a statewide campaign called, “Be an Election Hero. Become a Poll Worker.” Hargett said the goal is to recruit workers to conduct smooth and efficient elections.

“These people that do work the polls for us, they are heroes,” Hargett said. “We couldn’t conduct the election without them, so it takes everyday Tennesseans who are willing to give up some of their time on early Election Day to help us do this.”

Hargett said its takes 17,000 people to conduct elections statewide. Hargett said workers receive training to do tasks like check-ins or as simple as handing out “I voted” stickers at the door.

“You get paid a little bit of money, but really, you get the satisfaction of knowing you were a fundamental piece of the electoral process and we couldn’t have done it without you,” Hargett said.

Hargett said to be a poll worker, you must be at least 16 years old. Those older than 18 must be registered voters to participate. You can apply at sos.tn.gov/elections or contact your local election office.

“We would rather recruit too many people and have to turn some people away then get to election week, early voting or election day and firgure out we don’t have enough people,” Hargett said. “We need to recruit now to prepare for the potential need.”