It is a paid volunteer position — poll officials are paid for service. The rates are:

• Poll managers: $340
• Assistant managers: $240
• Issuing clerks: $215
• Non-issuing clerks: $160

Those who complete training but do not work for any reason on Election Day will not receive pay for training. If a poll official must leave during Election Day due to an illness or emergency, the pay will be prorated to the number of hours worked.

The work hours vary among positions. However, all poll officials must report to their assigned precinct by 5:30 am on Election Day and remain on duty until the polls have closed and all paperwork is completed. After all the poll activities have been completed, the poll manager and one poll official must accompany ballots and paperwork back to the Gwinnett County Voter Registrations and Elections Office in Lawrenceville. All poll officials should anticipate a minimum 14-hour day, which may include a lot of standing or sitting in one position.

All poll officials receive their pay approximately four weeks after Election Day.

All poll officials are required by law to be trained before each election cycle. You will be given access to manuals and paperwork during online training, and you will receive a training certificate upon passing the online training test. As this is a requirement by law, you cannot work the polls if you have not completed training. Basic poll official training is offered online and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the training period. Several training dates and times for specialized classes and management-level poll officials are scheduled to accommodate as many poll officials as possible.

Demonstration Labs provide an opportunity to receive additional hands-on training. Labs are conducted after the in-person training class  In the lab, you will experience interactive opportunities which will include additional hands-on-training on the Ballot Marking Device and the e-pollbook. In addition, you will have an opportunity to ask questions related to the voting system and procedures covered in class.

Your poll manager will contact you with dates and times. You will work with your poll official, and they will notify the Voter Registrations and Elections Division.

No. Due to potential allergen situations, it is recommended that all poll officials bring their own meals, snacks, and drinks for the day. Some polling locations have kitchens available to poll officials for limited use, but not all do, so you should be prepared with meals that do not require heating or refrigeration. If a facility allows kitchen use, we ask that you respect the location in maintaining cleanliness and do not use utensils as they may belong to employees who work at the facility.

If a poll official has any food allergies, they should make the poll manager aware in case of an emergency.

Yes, you have to work all day. Poll officials must be sworn in at the beginning of each Election Day,  and payroll sheets must be signed prior to the poll opening. Allowing split shifts eliminates continuity throughout the day at the stations.

No. Poll officials are required to vote before Election Day. You may vote by mail up to 45 days before the election, or you can vote advance in person up to 21 days before the election at the Gwinnett County Voter Registrations and Elections Office or at one of the advance voting locations the week immediately preceding the election.

Once you've been sworn in at the polling place, you are not allowed to leave until all Election Day activities are completed. Visit our Advance Voting or Absentee Voting pages for additional information, including forms for absentee by mail voting.

Scheduled breaks are determined by the poll manager. Not all facilities allow smoking on the premises. 

• Help set up the polls
• Assist voters when signing in and possibly voting
• Issue ballots
• Account for ballots and pack supplies after voting has ended

You will be assigned to a polling location based on where there are critical shortages of workers. Election workers are either assigned to a polling location near their home or anywhere throughout the county as needed.