MANSFIELD — It appears Richland County residents have answered the call to work in the polls for the Nov. 3 general election, though recruitment efforts continue in other areas of the state.
More than 200 local residents participated in poll worker training sessions this week with the Richland County Board of Elections, according to local elections director Paulette Hankins.
“We had 110 in the first class, which was Wednesday evening from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. We had to turn about 80 persons away that evening due to COVID spacing requirements, as well as the room capacity under the state fire inspector’s guidelines.
“On Thursday afternoon for our 2 to 4:30 p.m. class, we had 98 attendees,” Hankins said.
There is another class scheduled Oct. 17 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. for anyone interested who could not attend the first two classes, Hankins said.
The good turnouts mean the county can handle in-person voting during the Nov. 3 presidential election — even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We will have a sufficient number of poll workers and even be able to add a worker or two at most locations to assist in the additional sanitizing duties and expected increase in turnout,” Hankins said.
“We are very appreciative of the citizens of Richland County for stepping up and filling the vacancies for us,” she said.
On Wednesday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced 51,918 Ohioans have signed up to serve as poll workers — including 21,079 Democrats poll and 19,169 Republicans. However, because of party requirements not being met in many counties, 17,257 poll workers were still needed to meet the statewide goal.
“A new generation of patriotic poll workers are stepping up in ways never seen before,” LaRose said. “It’s clear that our diverse and innovative poll worker recruitment campaigns are working, but there is still more work to do.”
Early, in-person voting for the Nov. 3 election began Tuesday and continues through Nov. 2. For more information, visit the Richland County Board of Elections website.
