SC primary shortage results in backlog of Richland County poll worker applications
After Richland County faced a severe shortage of poll workers that led to long lines at consolidated polling stations during the June primary, officials now say the county faces a backlog of poll worker applications for the November election.
Charles Austin, chairman of the Richland County Election Commission, said the county is moving forward with contacting a flood of new applicants who have come forward to work the polls in recent weeks, even as the county elections office works to get up to speed under its new director.
“I’ve discussed it with Director (Alexandria) Stephens, and I believe she has a competent plan to catch up on the backlog,” he said. “We’re focused on turning toward poll workers and evaluating polling sites so that we have polling locations in place.”
But Austin said the county still needs to sign up and train more volunteers ahead of the Nov. 3 election, when the presidential race is expected to bring one of the largest turnouts the county has ever seen.
Austin said the county’s goal is to get 2,000 people in total signed up to work the polls in November — even more than might ultimately be needed.
“We do need more people,” he said. “If we get to election day and face those challenges, we need to have an available reserve to address those.”
The county’s election office is going through a period of transition. A new director, Alexandria Stephens, took over the office just last week after being hired away from an elections job in Jefferson County, Alabama — the home of Birmingham and the most populous county in the state.
Stephens is in the process of developing her own plan for meeting the county’s poll worker needs, even as some are waiting to hear back about their application. Efforts by The State to reach Stephens on Thursday were unsuccessful.
Chris Whitmire with the S.C. Election Commission said the backlog could be chalked up to the fact the former interim elections director called out sick during the primary runoff on June 23, and the office worker tasked with coordinating applications has also missed time at the office.
“That’s part of the problem,” Whitmire said. “We feel like they could have done a better job contacting and assigning poll workers ahead of the primary.”
The state Election Commission stepped up its oversight of Richland County’s election operations between the June 9 primary and June 23 runoff election. The primary saw some voters waiting in long lines for hours, even after the polls closed on election night.
Many had difficulty finding the right place to vote when polling locations were consolidated due to a shortage of poll workers, with many older volunteers dropping out due to fears of catching COVID-19. Some voters also complained of receiving the wrong ballot, with local races they should have been able to vote in missing.
After state officials stepped in, Richland County ended up with 239 poll workers for the runoff, far fewer than election officials expect will be needed in November if the county is to open all polling stations to accommodate a much larger turnout. All poll workers, both new and returning, will go through re-training ahead of the general election, Whitmire said.
About 23% of voters turned out for the state primary in June, considered a high turnout for a primary. State election officials are planning for around 75% turnout in November, higher than for the 2016 and 2012, but about in line with the 2008 election.
If absentee voting in November is in line with what election offices saw in June, Whitmire says the state could see 1.6 million absentee votes cast, including 1.1 million mail-in ballots. Election offices are not currently equipped to deal with such a flood of envelopes, and final results could be delayed for days or even weeks after Election Day without help from the General Assembly, Whitmire said.
Austin said local officials are aware of the challenges facing them, and while he’s thankful to all the poll workers who did turn out in June, he wants to keep a focus on being prepared for the future.
“Our operational theme is ‘Nov. 3 is tomorrow,’” he said. “That’s the level of urgency we need.”
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