Election Workers Needed for Primary

More than 60 election officers are still needed to work at polling stations throughout eastern Ventura County for the June 7 primary election, despite a campaign to recruit workers, county officials said Tuesday.

In addition, another 50 or 60 people are needed to serve as backups to fill in for last-minute cancellations, said Bruce Bradley, the county’s chief elections official. Election workers receive $55 or $63 per day, depending on the position assigned, and can expect to work 13 hours or more on election day.

There are 405 polling stations throughout the county, with four election officers assigned to each station. But as of Tuesday, there were 30 election officer vacancies in Simi Valley, 26 in Thousand Oaks and 10 in Moorpark, Bradley said.

While it is usually more difficult to get help for primary elections than general elections, this year has been especially tough, he said. The county elections division has even tried placing newspaper and radio ads to solicit help, but with little success.

Bradley said his office can usually count on getting 200 to 300 responses after it mails out its sample ballots, which include requests for help, in late April. But this year, the office has received only about 50 responses.

“It’s been a real battle,” Bradley said. “I think this is the hardest it’s ever been.”

One reason for the lack of interest may be that many people in eastern Ventura County--particularly in Simi Valley--are still recovering from the Jan. 17 earthquake, Bradley said.

Another reason may be because the majority of election officers in the past have been seniors, with the average age about 72, and perhaps are no longer able to work, he said.