Becoming a poll worker for the 2020 primary

The Macon-Bibb Board of Elections is encouraging people to be trained on how to monitor polling locations and voters for the primary election this November.

Evening and thanks for joining us for 41nbc news at 6:00.

I'm shelby coates.

Tucker sargent will join us shortly.

Our top story tonight at 6: the macon-bibb board of elections... is training poll workers ahead of early voting and the upcoming election.

41nbc's peyton lewis has more ... on what it takes to be a poll worker.

The macon-bibb board of elections is encouraging people to be trained on how to monitor polling locations and voters, for the election next month.

Tom gillon, an election officer for macon-bibb, says becoming a poll worker is simple.

"we try to make it easy, it is required that we have poll worker training, and we prefer to have everyone that's working at the same polling location come to the same training class, although we're flexible on that."

You will learn the basics of becoming a poll worker, like how and where people can cast their ballot.

However, the covid-19 pandemic and a new law have created some changes.

"everyone has to provide a voter id to vote, and now we have to accept the fact that we can't see people in general because they tend to be wearing masks so the photo id and how we handle that has to be different."

Gillon says poll workers will not ask people to remove their masks to check for identification.

Workers will also be provided with masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing tools to keep everyone at their voting location safe.

Even with all the protocals in place, first time poll worker keturah haynes, says she looks forward to working during the election.

"which everything that's going on and who's running, i'm not going to get too deep into it but yeah it just seemed very important.

And i can encourage my friends to come out and vote and i can see them there."

James vandiver, a veteran poll worker, says he feels that it's a privilege to help people vote.

"if you don't vote, if you don't use your voice, you;'re saying i don't care.

I'll accept whatever decision happens to be, whatever happens to me in the future i'll accept it because i have no concern.

So um, i think that that's what really burns inside of me to be a poll officer this year."

If you're interested in becoming poll worker, just go to your local board of elections, and c1 3 b13 fill out an application.

In macon, peyton lewis 41nbc news.

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