Student poll workers are an integral part of the voting process in Sarasota County. Poll workers are county residents who help the elections officce conduct fair and accurate elections. Their duties can include processing vote-by-mail ballots, managing in-person early voting and working election day polling locations.
Students are encouraged to be a part of these nonpartisan teams on election day. In addition to experiencing the elections process firsthand, students can gain valuable community service credits for attending training and get paid for working on election day. If you are interested in making a difference in your community and making a few dollars while you do it, consider joining our team as a student poll worker.
Student poll workers must be
pre-registered to vote, a resident of Sarasota County and meet the following requirements:
- Read, write and speak English.
- Participate in required training prior to election day.
- Maintain a positive attitude, exhibit professional behavior and remain nonpartisan at all times while working and training.
- Refrain from any comments or discussion concerning a voter, a voter’s party preference, candidates and issues while working at the polls.
- Work on election day from 6:00 a.m. until dismissed by the precinct clerk after election day duties are completed (typically a 14-hour day).
Student poll workers are paid $175 for completing training and working a full election day. Prior to each election, a statement of approval form will be sent to your school so that you may receive an excused absence for election day and earn credit for community service.
If needed for a class or coursework, college students may submit their community service forms to the Human Resources/Poll Worker department in the Supervisor of Elections office for verification of service hours.
For more information about our student poll worker program, please review the
Student Poll Worker Guidelines.
To apply, take the following to one of our
three elections offices:
Only Section 1 of the I-9 Form should be completed. If you need assistance with the I-9 Form, our staff will be happy to help. If you have questions, please call the Poll Worker department at 941.861.8640.