Work at the Polls

Election Officers & Volunteers   

Election Judges, Election Clerks, Poll Workers, Inspectors, Election Workers… each state uses a different title for the individuals who run in-person voting locations on Election Day. In Virginia, these workers are called Officers of Election, and we would love for you to join their ranks!

The Arlington County Office of Voter Registration runs 54 polling places. Every year in Virginia, there is a General Election in November, and there is often a Primary Election in June. Depending on the size of the precinct and type of election, each polling place is assigned 5-13 officers to work each election day.

Becoming an Officer of Election

  1. Application

    Fill out the Arlington County Officer of Election Application

  2. Approval

    Your name is submitted to the Arlington County Board of Elections for approval. You will receive notice once you are approved. Note: Officers are approved at Board of Elections meetings only, so this process can take up to two months in between elections.

  3. Availability survey

    Before each election, we reach out to some or all approved officers to ask if they are available to work.

  4. Assignment

    Available officers are assigned a role and location to serve and must confirm their assignment upon receipt.

  5. Training

    Each officer will be notified of what required training they must complete before working. Most officers are required to complete training every election.

  6. Election Day

    Work your assigned polling place on Election Day!

About the role

Election officers are assigned to work in a polling place on election day. All new officers work as Election Officers to get experience before they can be promoted to a specialist or leadership position. Election Officers remain on our list as long as they are eligible, interested, and reappointed annually by the Board of Election.

Requirements
  • Current voter registration anywhere in the state of Virginia
  • No close professional relation to any elected official and no close familiar relation to any elected official on the ballot for the election
  • Ability to work on Election Day and remain in the polling place from 5 AM until 9 PM
  • Basic computer skills
  • Access to an email address that is checked at least once a week
  • Commitment to following the Arlington County Officer of Election Code of Conduct(PDF, 125KB)

  • Each polling place is staffed with the following positions:
    • Chief Officer of Elections
      Rate: $300/election
      Each polling place is assigned one Chief. The Chief is an experienced officer who oversees the retrieval of materials from the main Office of Voter Registration before the election, the operations of the polling place during voting, and the return of materials to the main office on election night. The Chief coordinates with their assigned officers in the weeks before Election Day and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the official materials submitted to the Office of Voter Registration are complete and correct.  
    • Assistant Chief
      Rate: $250/election

      Each polling place is assigned one or two Assistant Chiefs. Assistant Chiefs are experienced officers who support the Chief in their duties and are trained to take over the role in the event that the Chief is unable to serve in their role.

    • Registration Clerk
      Rate: $250/election
      Registration clerks are specialized officers who help voters with any registration issues, provisional ballots, and required paperwork. Registration clerks must attend specialized training before each election.
    • Election Officer
      Rate: $200/election
      Most assigned workers on Election Day are Election Officers. Election officers help routine voters through the voting process and provide basic information about each step. Tasks that Election Officers might take on include:
      • Greeting voters and answering questions as they arrive at the polling place
      • Confirming voters’ eligibility to vote and checking them in on the pollbook
      • Issuing ballots to voters
      • Assisting voters as needed while they are completing their ballot
      • Monitoring the ballot scanner and helping voters navigate any alerts that are produced when they scan their ballot
      • Passing out “I Voted” stickers!

    Training

     In general, all officers are required to complete some form of training before each election. Depending on the election and the officer’s assigned role, this training may include some or all of the following:

    • In-person lecture
    • Self-paced online training
    • Hands-on equipment training
    • Video modules

    Click here for examples of online training and training materials

    Have more questions?

    Send us an email at pollworkers@arlingtonva.us or call us at 703-228-3456.

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