Election officers go extra mile for democracy as paid volunteers

The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters on Friday issued an urgent call for volunteers to work as election officers on Nov. 6.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for Santa Clara County residents to observe, promote and facilitate one of our most important civil liberties; our democratic rights as voters,” said Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey.

If the idea of jumping on a chance to go the extra mile to ensure a successful election isn’t quite enough to move you, consider that you can also make up to $200 for the job.

With the election less than a month away, Bushey called the shortage of election officers critical. More than 1,000 additional volunteers are needed throughout the county. Every election officer must speak fluent English, but people who speak a second language as well can earn a few more dollars than English-only speakers.

The Registrar of Voters offers free, mandatory training to be an election officer. Please view the video above to see what to expect from the training and on election day.

How to sign up

To volunteer to be an election officer, immediately sign up online under the “Volunteer” tab at www.sccvote.org or call:

English: (408) 918-9140

Spanish: (408) 282-3095

Vietnamese: (408) 282-3097

Chinese: (408) 282-3086

Tagalog: (408) 282-3089

Hindi: (408) 282-3199

High School Students: (408) 282-3091