With the election just seven days away, the city of Superior is looking for additional people to work at the polls Nov. 3.
One member of the election staff is in quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19, but none of the poll workers have tested positive, according to a news release issued by the mayor’s office Tuesday, Oct. 27.
City Clerk Terri Kalan said several people expected to work on Election Day have dropped out because of the surge in COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin.
“Although we can highly encourage people to wear masks, we cannot prohibit people from voting if they do not wear a mask,” Kalan said. “People were uncomfortable with that. We had a handful of them drop, and we’re just trying to build up a reserve list.”
Wisconsin remains under a mask mandate until Nov. 21.
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The goal is to have enough people in reserve so if someone has to quarantine or someone gets sick on election day, the city clerk’s office has a list of people they can call to help at the polls, Kalan said.
Election inspectors play a vital role at voting sites — setting up the polling place, registering and assisting voters, issuing ballots, monitoring election equipment, counting votes and properly filling out forms
With nearly 6,000 ballots received in Superior through absentee and early voting as of Tuesday, city officials are expecting a large turnout in this election.
Election workers are paid $11.51 per hour for their time and workers can sign up for one of three shifts available: 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; 1 p.m. to about 9 p.m. or 6 a.m. to about 9 p.m.
“After speaking with Douglas County Public Health Department, we can assure citizens our polling locations for both early and day of voting are abiding by proper safety and sanitary requirements, and voters are safe to vote in-person with limited risk of exposure,” Mayor Jim Paine said. “While we have not had any staff who need to quarantine, there is still a need for more poll workers to sign-up for Election Day polling locations.”
Anyone interested in being an election inspector Nov. 3 can contact the City Clerk’s Office at 715-395-7200 to start the application process.
