Election Workers

Appointment Letter

In elections in which Commissioners Court appoints Election Day judges, appointed judges will be sent a notice of appointment within 20 days of appointment. The notice will contain the appointment term.

Notice of Intent to Place

In most elections (except runoff elections and special elections in which the window to hire is very narrow), Harris County may send a preliminary notice to election workers with their intent to place them in the upcoming election. The intent to place will have as much information as is available at the time the intent is determined, such as:

• Vote Center (location may change as availability is determined)
• For Election Day judges, a base quantity of clerks that can be hired (this number may change after turnout analysis is concluded and will be updated in the placement letter)
• Recruitment contact information

Placement Letter

Placement letters will be sent to all workers which Harris County places (Election Day judges, Early Voting Judges, and Early Voting clerks) within 3 business days of completion of all the following events:

1. Vote Centers have been approved by Commissioners Court or approving authority.
2. Logic & Accuracy (L&A) test has been completed (L&A is due by the 45th day prior to Election Day).
3. All information needed to include in the placement letter is available (see list below):
   1. Quantity of clerks that can be hired
   2. Alternate Judge with contact information (if one is placed yet)
   3. Rate of pay for assigned position
   4. Vote Center location name, address, and a phone number, if available
   5. Training Information
   6. Judge expectations
   7. Equipment allocation
   8. Recruiter contact information
   9. Supply Handout information
   10. Drop-off information

Note: Placement letters may be delayed in jurisdictional elections when cancellations affect Vote Center selection and distribution of equipment and clerk allocations. Delays may also occur depending on the availability of IT to configure letter sending applications.

Recruitment coordinators will attempt to reach all Harris County placed workers to confirm the following items:

• Availability
• Receipt of placement letter
• Communicate requirements and follow-up to confirm:
  • Acceptance of assignment
  • Training
  • Hiring clerks, including bilinguals (for Election Day judges)
  • Agency sign-up
  • Supply pick-up scheduling
  • Vote Center setup
  • Election night return

Election worker training requirements may vary depending on election type. Typically, paid training is required in-person during a 4 hour class. Training classes will be available multiple areas where the election is being held and on multiple dates (including weekdays and weekends). Full courses will cover procedural and legal elements of the following topics:

• Equipment
• Notices/postings
• Forms
• Qualifying the voters
• Voting procedures
• ID requirements
• Voter assistance
• ADA
• Opening the Vote Center
• Closing the Vote Center
• And more, including opportunities to ask questions

Note: Harris County may periodically offer modified training to more experienced judges (i.e., online, once a year test-out option).

Harris County will provide a help desk specific to election workers to support their calls while they are at their vote center. The staffing for this help desk will be scaled according to the size of the election. Election workers dial one number and choose from a menu to speak with any of the following departments:

• Early Voting Recruitment (for personnel related issues)
• Election Day Recruitment (for personnel related issues)
• Payroll
• Training (all procedural, forms or equipment related questions)
• Technical Assistance (equipment service requests)
• Supplies
• Locations
• Voter Registration
• ADA
• Legal Line (poll watcher and electioneering issues)

Harris County will provide field technicians who will stop at their assigned vote centers throughout Early Voting and Election Day to assist with technical issues or supply requests. A technician may be dispatched for assistance on-demand based on a judge’s request to the help desk’s technical assistance line.

Harris County will offer appointment times for presiding judges to pick up their supplies. The link to schedule this appointment is available in the presiding judge placement letter. Typically, pick-ups take between 30 minutes and an hour. The earliest pick-up appointments tend to take longer for multiple factors, including high traffic from judges showing up earlier than their initial appointments.

Presiding Judges will pick up a variety of items that should be stored within a vehicle (not in the bed of a truck) and should be able to be promptly secured in an air-conditioned and locked environment.

Harris County will offer support at the exit to assist in taking the supplies to the judge’s vehicle. Presiding Judges are not paid an hourly wage for this event, but rather is covered in the $120 stipend which covers all activities performed by the Presiding Judge outside of working Election Day.

Presiding Judges are responsible for the prompt delivery of election supplies to Harris County within two hours of the Vote Center closing. Presiding Judges may designate someone to drop off for them if needed.

Harris County may offer one central drop-off location or multiple regional collect sites, depending on logistic determinations for that election. Drop-off time may vary depending on the number of judges dropping off at the same time at the designated drop-off location or the quantity of time it takes to work with judges who did not follow the procedure and will need to fill out missing forms or run missing tapes.

Presiding Judges will be provided a copy of the supplies to return in the training manual, supply kit, and through an email reminder. All items that have housed ballots, including ballot bags, ballot boxes, scans, Provisional storage, or other emergency slot ballot storage, must be returned.

Harris County expects that all logs, chain of custody, and forms be signed and filled out completely by the election judge or required party (i.e., a voter for voter section).

We have contracted an agency to pay Election Workers. Harris County will receive compensation sheets and enter them expeditiously. Worker hours will be sent to the agency for payment. The agency may take longer to process payroll when processing a higher quantity of election workers. Training may often not be compensated until after the election is worked. 

Harris County has established expectations for the number of hours that may be submitted. If hours worked exceed this limit, a request for approval of extended hours may be submitted along with the reason for the request. Harris County will review all requests and may provide compensation for additional hours if needed. 

Presiding Judges should not add any additional time for setup, supply handout, staffing, or any other non-Election Day activity since the $120 stipend covers those activities. During Early Voting, all workers may be compensated for setting up, but on Election Day, when less equipment is needed per Vote Center, only the Alternate Judge and one clerk may assist and be paid to help set up. If more assistance is needed, it should be requested in advance with an explanation.

FINAL NOTE: Nothing in this Q&A prohibits Harris County from adjusting/amending practices, as needed, as long as they are in compliance with the Texas Election Code.

November 4 Payroll Timeline

December 13 Payroll Timeline