Office of Elections begin preparations for Election 2024, hiring for job roles

The presidential primary is just four months away. The Humboldt County Office of Elections is preparing for the next wave of voters and searching for  election workers.

“It’s one of the hardest things we do in our office. We go about either reaching to local service organizations, you know, your rotary, Kiwanis, churches, schools and just find folks that are civically minded,” clerk-recorder Juan Pablo Cervantes said. “Over the years, it’s been more and more difficult to find people that have the time to do that.” 

Working an election isn’t just about showing up on the day of voting. There are hours of training before the election and working the day of.

Yet, the Office of Rlections is taking a different approach to reflect the time management of today.

“We’ll be hiring folks on as extra help. So they’ll be county employees making an hourly wage,” Cervantes said. “We’ll need fewer of them, but we’ll need them for longer periods of time. It will no longer be just election day, but 29 days.”

Extra help workers can apply today with work beginning on Feb. 5th.

This is also the first election where you’ll visit a voting center instead of a polling place.

“Under the voters choice act, we’ll have fewer places but they are going to be open longer and any Humboldt County registered voter can go to any of those places and get services,” Cervantes said.

These voting centers will open on Feb. 24. Vote center staff positions are open for applications.

Other positions include ballot transporters and vote center managers. 

Outside of hiring, the Office of Elections also hopes to create better voter turnout with a more personal touch.

“We have this broad initiative in our office where we’re meeting people where they’re at. We take that to mean a bunch of things,” Cervantes said. “We’ve started to engage on social media in ways we’ve never engaged before. We’re doing outreach in spaces that we normally be at. ”

That could make this next election season one for the books.

Those interested in applying to a position can apply on the Office of Elections’ application page.