We agree that poll workers in Escambia County (Ala.) deserve a raise. Roger Williamson approached the county commission Monday asking for a $50 across-the-board raise for the nearly 150 to 160 poll workers who work the polls on election day.
Currently we pay the state minimum of $100 per day for poll workers and $125 per day for the inspector. The polls are open for 12 hours but that normally turns into a 16-hour day for the poll workers. Doing the math a poll worker makes about $6.25 per hour and the inspector makes about $7.81 per hour. That doesn't include the time they spend attending poll worker training.
Currently the county pays half the fee and the state pays the other half. If the Legislature would pass a bill raising the minimum to $150 per day for poll workers and $175 for the inspector the same 50-50 payment would apply.
Granted that's the best option, but it would be two years before such a raise could be enacted because it would have to be approved by the Legislature.
Poll workers are where the rubber meets the road on election day. We need competent, dependable people working the polls.
As Probate Judge Doug Agerton said Monday, based on the pay they are doing it as a public service.
We agree that the county commission needs to get with our legislative delegation and recommend a statewide bill to raise the minimum pay for poll workers. That's the best solution.
Until that time, we'd like to see the commission consider at least giving the poll workers a $25 per day raise that would cost the county about $3,750 per election day.
We understand that poll workers don't do this job for the money and, as Agerton said, it's a public service. But it's a huge public service in our view.
We've been fortunate over the years by staying out of the news concerning voting problems. We've been fortunate because we have good poll workers on the job.
We need to keep them and we need to attract more as attrition takes some away.
