More than 100 Hamilton County poll workers got fired Tuesday for failing to do the one thing that matters most on Election Day. They didn’t vote. The board of elections said goodbye to the 104 workers after learning they had not voted in either the 2013 or 2014 elections, despite spending most of those Election Days in a polling place, surrounded by voters and ballots. “I’m frankly kind of shocked by the number of people on that list,” said Tim Burke, chairman of the board and leader of Hamilton County’s Democratic Party. “We want everyone to vote. If we have poll workers who don’t vote, we’re not encouraging that.”
The board reviews the performance of poll workers after every election, and voting is one of the requirements that most often trips people up. Depending on their responsibilities, poll workers are paid between $161.50 and $181.50.
The number of non-voting poll workers increased significantly this year compared to 2012, though it’s not clear exactly by how much because the board changed the way it keeps records. Two years ago, 62 workers were let go for failing to vote or for other performance issues, which means the number from 2014 is at least 68 percent higher.
The increase from 2012 is due in part to the presidential election that year, which attracted far more voters overall than the 2014 election, but elections officials say that’s no excuse. Poll workers are expected to vote.
Full Article: 100 poll workers fired for not voting.