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)