One of the privileges of being a PCO is the power to recommend an Election Official from your precinct. Election Officials are the watchdogs of the Party on Election Day. They are charged with the responsibility of insuring that all ballots are correctly handled and accounted for and that the Party’s rights are upheld.

Election Officials are paid for their time by King County, which is an advantageous fact to mention when recruiting interested voters in your precinct.

According to state statute, Election Officials are recommended by the PCO, certified by the County Chair, and officially appointed by the Manager of Records and Elections, per the County Chair’s certifications. Each party is represented equally on the election board in each precinct. The party that carried the county in the last Presidential election is also entitled to appoint one Election Inspector.

The Party depends on Election Officials to report any irregularity in the voting procedure, any defective machines or defective computer voting apparatus, and any electioneering around the polling place. Election Officials are also authorized to make available to the PCO the latest up-to-date records showing who has and has not voted in the precinct at various intervals during the day. This is an important resource for you the PCO to use to make last minute phone calls to registered voters as part of your Get Out The Vote efforts. For this reason, it is best not to choose yourself to be an Election Official.

Finding Election Officials can be fun. Senior citizens make excellent choices. Many of them are already registered to vote and they may enjoy spending some worthwhile time as an Election Official. You can also search your card file or database, put a notice in your precinct newsletter, or send around a sign up sheet at your precinct caucus.

The names of Election Officials must be given to your District Party by March 15^th. It is preferable to get the names in by February since the County Party’s volunteer Election Coordinator must contact each Election Official and submit the completed Republican list to the King County Elections Division before May 1^st.

People who would like to be Election Officials must be registered to vote in Washington. They can register up to one day before the election for this purpose, although they would not be able to vote. They must be able to read and write legibly. They must attend a training session sponsored by King County. They will also have to aid in the set up of the polling place. Finally, some Election Officials may be asked to work in special elections, which are held in the spring.