An “I voted” sticker atop a polling machine at the Dallas County Elections Department.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN — Allison Campolo wants experienced election workers to return. But she also needs people willing to learn the job.
For Campolo, the Tarrant County Democratic Party chair, that means recruiting at community events, reaching out through social media and calling people who have worked previous elections.
Early voting begins Monday in Texas, with voters deciding high-profile races for the Senate, governor and other offices. Counties and political parties are working to recruit enough poll workers to staff voting locations through Election Day on Nov. 3.
Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News
Nicholas Solorzano, communications manager for the Dallas County Elections Department, feeds a sample ballot into a scanner during an equipment demonstration Friday in Dallas.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
Nicholas Solorzano, communications manager for the Dallas County Elections Department, feeds a sample ballot into a scanner during an equipment demonstration Friday in Dallas.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
It’s a year-round effort with no breaks.
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“It’s a lot of calls,” Campolo said. “They are usually pretty fruitful. If you’re able to have that one-on-one conversation, it’s very meaningful and very impactful and you can usually get them to say yes.”
Related: Here’s how to get a free ride to, from the polls in Tarrant County
Early voting in the Nov. 3 midterm elections begins Monday and runs through Oct. 30, and counties need workers to staff polling places for that and on Election Day.
To fill those positions, counties and political parties are recruiting workers through personal appeals, training programs and college internships.
Voters will decide high-profile races for Senate, governor and other statewide offices, along with congressional, legislative and local contests.
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Election staffing is particularly important in Tarrant County, where Democrats have made inroads in the traditionally Republican stronghold and officials have struggled to recruit enough poll workers in recent elections.
In late February, Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig told the Fort Worth Report the county needed about 200 additional election clerks for the March primary. Campolo said both parties faced staffing difficulties, but every polling location ultimately opened.
Ahead of Election Day, Campolo and Tarrant County GOP Chair Tim Davis said staffing was largely in place. Keeping those positions filled requires continued attention.
“We’re going to have to continue to watch it and monitor it because folks will drop off, folks will get added, just depending on their personal schedules,” Davis said.
Nicholas Solorzano, communications manager for the Dallas County Elections Department, demonstrates polling equipment Friday ahead of early voting.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
In Dallas County, 441 of 444 Election Day judge positions and 404 of 444 alternate judge positions were filled, Elections Administrator Paul Adams told county officials on Oct. 12. Adams added that 2,711 workers were on standby to assist with any vacancies.
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During early voting, Dallas County voters can cast ballots at any polling location, unlike the March 3 primary day, when they were required to vote at assigned precincts, causing widespread confusion.
Related: Dallas County’s switch to precincts confused voters. Were election workers prepared?
Keeping workers
Campolo said Democrats recruit constantly, but efforts intensify about three months before an election. The party also recruits through its young Democrats network.
The party helps place Election Day judges, who recruit clerks for their teams. County elections staff help fill remaining clerk vacancies and handle early voting assignments.
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“So recruiting is not too bad,” Campolo said. “Sometimes the retention is a bit hard.”
Presiding judges at polling locations might arrive around 5:30 a.m. and finish at 10 or 11 p.m., after closing the polls and returning equipment, she said. Election workers tend to skew older, Campolo said, because retirees are more likely to have time for the long shifts.
Davis said Republicans recruit precinct chairs, returning workers and others interested in serving. The party submitted 343 names for election worker appointments in 2025, providing a pool of potential replacements. Tarrant County has 224 Election Day polling locations and 47 early voting locations.
Related: Judge denies request to reinstate 92 Tarrant County election polling sites
Primaries, runoffs, municipal contests and special elections can mean repeatedly asking the same people to serve. Many also volunteer for campaigns or elsewhere in the party.
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The workload worries Davis. This year, Tarrant County has had a special election to fill a vacant state Senate seat, March primaries and a May runoff, with the midterms still ahead.
“These people are my heroes because they stand down there and make this process happen,” he said.
Next gen
Nicholas Solorzano, communications manager for the Dallas County Elections Department, guides a practice run Friday on a voting machine using fictional candidate names.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
Jennifer Doinoff is the elections administrator for Hays County, outside of Austin. She’s looking for people who can eventually replace longtime workers.
Her office started a paid internship program with Texas State University earlier this year. About 10 interns worked from January through May, and roughly 14 have been working this fall, Doinoff said.
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Students learn different parts of election administration, including voter registration processing, and work at polling locations during early voting or on Election Day.
The county recruits interns primarily through the university’s political science department, though students from any department can participate.
Doinoff hopes students will consider careers in election administration, continue working elections or explain election safeguards to others.
Hays County will use about 400 workers on Election Day. The interns fill only a fraction of that need, but Doinoff said the county intends to continue the partnership.
“Our plan is that it will be permanent,” she said.