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Fairfax County Election Officers: The hours are long, the pay is low, but your contribution to democracy is enormous!
For Election Officers
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NEW! Fall 2009 VoteNotes Newsletter for Election Officers
- Election Officer Application Form (You may also e-mail us with the basic application information)
- Election Officer Oath Form
- Split Shift Application Form (Read about Split Shift requirements)
By working at the polls you will be supporting the democratic values on which our nation was built.
Serving as an election officer is a rewarding way to participate in your government and help us to ensure a fair and well-organized voting process. Fairfax County needs approximately 3,000 dependable and committed citizens to serve as election officers in its 231 precincts for each General Election.
Qualifications
- You must be a registered voter of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- You cannot hold elected office or be the employee of an elected official.
- You must enjoy meeting people and serving the public.
- You must be able to take direction, pay attention to detail and not be easily distracted.
- You must be available to work the entire day on Election Day OR
- If working a split shift, you must meet all split shift requirements and deadlines.
Responsibilities on Election Day
Election Officers are required to...
- Arrive at the polling place at 5:00 a.m. on Election Day and remain until all tallies have been completed.
- Set up voting equipment and prepare the polling place for voting.
- Process voters by checking names on list of registered voters.
- Admit voters to voting machines.
- Tally results.
- Secure voting machines (Code of Virginia, §24.2-1009: Stealing or tampering with ballot containers, voting or registration equipment, software, records or documents is a Class 5 felony).
- Close the polling place.
Training
Each election officer is required to attend a one-time training class. Chief and Assistant Chief election officers are required by the Code of Virginia, § 24.2-115,to attend training prior to every election in which they serve. Classes, lasting about 2 hours, are held in mid-October at several locations around the county. Additional classes are held prior to special and primary elections. Training class schedules are made available online prior to elections.
Chief and Assistant Chief officers are required to attend a training class prior to each election. In addition, the Chief Officer is responsible for returning materials to the Government Center on election night or by noon the day following the election.
What will I be paid?
| Position: | Pay: |
| Chief Officer | $200 |
| Assistant Chief Officer | $150 |
| Election Officer | $100 |
Where will I be working?
Whenever possible, Election Officers are assigned to their "home" precinct. However, if there are no vacancies at your polling place, you may be assigned to a nearby precinct or asked to work in the Central Absentee Precinct (CAP). Unassigned officers are asked to serve as "stand-bys" to fill in for scheduled officers who cannot serve.
If you would like to apply to serve as a Fairfax County election officer
please e-mail us with the
following information: your full name, current address, daytime
telephone number and your date of birth.This information is necessary
in order to verify your voter registration. Also, please indicate
whether you would prefer to represent either the Democratic party, the
Republican party or either party as needed on Election Day, as
mandated by the Code of Virginia,
§ 24.2-115, Appointment, qualifications, and term of officers of
election.
You may also apply by calling 703-324-4735 or by downloading the election officer application form (Adobe
Acrobat Reader Required, download Adobe Reader),
completing it, and then mailing it to us at the address listed on the
form.
The Fairfax County Electoral Board greatly appreciates those citizens
who help us to make our elections work!
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E-mail or call us at 703-324-4735
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