As early voters file their ballots in Tarrant County, the folks behind the scenes are working feverishly to fill over 200 positions ahead of the March 3 primaries.
Tarrant County Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig said at last check, they needed 26 election judges and 200 poll workers.
Typically, each party runs its own primary, which includes staffing each polling location.
“So, the judges in a primary are appointed by the parties, and then the judges find their own clerks,” Ludwig explained. “But when we’re getting this tight, our office jumps in. We help out trying to recruit. We work the phones, do the things to help.”
Election judges are paid $18 per hour, and workers are paid $15 per hour.
Ludwig said he’s heard of a similar problem in 2022, before he started his position.
“It seems that governors’ years are not as popular, and so they’re just more difficult to fill when it comes to getting the judges,” he said.
He said it could also be due to burnout from so many runoffs and special elections already.
“It’s been back to back to back. For our office, we’ve had in-person voting every month since October,” Ludwig said. “So it just has not stopped and these judges working again and again, they can get kind of tired, too.”
The timer is ticking, just four days away from the election.
“You can’t open something you don’t have people to work so that is the worst case scenario, and that’s something that we’re working very hard to avoid and ensure it doesn’t happen,” he said.
“It’s not a situation we want to be in,” said Reyne Telles, executive director of the Tarrant County Democratic Party.
He said the party sent an SOS via text on Wednesday night to try to fill the 90-person gap.
“To let folks know that we needed individuals to help do this, to help make our democratic primary successful,” he said.
Telles said it cost a couple of thousand dollars, but they got some bites and are now vetting over 150 potential workers.
He thanked the county for adjusting its in-person training process.
“They are going to be putting up videos so that people can actually get their training online through the weekend in order to make the deadline for Tuesday,” Telles said.
A spokesperson for the Tarrant County GOP didn’t want to go on camera, but said she didn’t think the staffing shortage was unusual, saying they’re always working until the last minute.
She said they are working diligently to fill the gap.
If you’re interested in becoming a poll worker, you can find more information here. The Democratic Party also shared this survey for people who want to work on Election Day.