Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: David Tom, Elections Division Manager

(Redwood City, CA) Mark Church, San Mateo County’s Chief Elections Officer and Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, announced that the Registration & Elections Division will train approximately 1,400 Election Officers for the June 7, 2016 Presidential Primary Election. Election Officers, also referred to as poll workers, will manage 342 precincts on Election Day.

Interest in Presidential Elections usually spurs more people to get involved as Election Officers. Civic-minded individuals step up to help conduct the “once-every-four-year election” in a fair, transparent and nonpartisan way. Remarkably, there are still neighborhoods in San Mateo County that need Election Officers.

To serve as an Election Officer, individuals may call 650.286.2810 or apply online at www.shapethefuture.org under the Election Officers tab. Potential officers must attend a two and a half to three-hour training session in May or June. The training schedule and sign-up application are also online and available by phone.

Two different classes are offered to Election Officers depending on their level of expertise:

• Introductory is for Election Officers who are new or have very little experience working at the polls on Election Day. The Election Officers will learn basic poll operations and receive hands-on training in assembling, operating, and breaking down the eSlate voting equipment. Classes are held at the Registration & Elections office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo.
• Refresher is for Election Officers who have worked on at least two elections. This class is a review of voting equipment and procedures with hands-on exercises on all poll activities built into the curriculum. Classes are held at the Registration & Elections office and public facilities throughout the county.

Additionally, all Election Officers have the opportunity to gain experience on any Election Day procedure in a Practice Lab. “The Practice Lab, set up just like a polling place, provides Election Officers with the opportunity to practice in advance of Election Day so they are better able to serve the voters of San Mateo County,” said Church. “There is a great deal of interest in this election and our Election Officers will be ready for an expected influx of voters,” he added.

Election Officers receive a stipend ranging from $115.00 to $140.00 for the day, plus $25.00 for the time in training class, if they serve on Election Day.

For more information about the June 7, 2016 Presidential Primary Election, please call 650.312.5222, visit www.shapethefuture.org or follow us on Twitter @smcvote.

The press release is displayed in its original format. San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Elections website now resides at www.smcacre.org