MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Election Day is about two months away and an unprecedented turnout is expected in unprecedented times.
“We are always looking for new people who are interested in working with us for elections,” Erika Flores, who is the deputy director of communications for Maricopa County Elections Department, said.
The pandemic has not stymied volunteer turnout, but many said they will only participate if they feel safe, according to Flores. In response, the county implemented unprecedented measures in Arizona’s recent primary election.
“For the general election, we’ll make sure that the poll workers where the face shields, the masks, the gloves...that the sites are being disinfected," Flores said.
Flores also promises that the sites chosen for Election Day will be large enough to practice social distancing.
“We know that’s so important for the safety of the poll workers and also the voters,” she said.
If you are interested in volunteering, there are numerous opportunities you can apply for.
“We have truck drivers that help us move equipment to the vote centers,” Flores said. “We also have ballot processors, because we need those bipartisan teams to open the envelopes whenever we get those early ballots in.”
Ensuring election security is also in the works.
“Tabulation center is under 24/7 live camera feeds; we have political party observers in our tabulation center that are overseeing that process,” Elections Department Director Scott Jarrett said.
Finally, the county promised to get early vote tabulations out to the public on Election Day.
“The first initial reporting at 8:00 p.m. on election night is the early ballots that have been processed,” Jarrett said.
The timetable for counting ballots submitted on Election Day will depend largely on how many voters turnout.
