Montgomery County’s clerk told commissioners July 28 that the county has verified 117 poll workers for the November general election and that she prefers to build a standby list of about 220 people to assure adequate staffing.

Clerk Amy Standridge (reported as the clerk) said the office started with a list of 400 potential board workers; 50 were inactive, 347 remained, 117 were verified, 167 did not answer or had bad contact numbers and 63 declined. The clerk recommended expanding recruitment through local civic groups, the two major parties, an online application, and an outreach to high schools: students age 16 and older can serve with school and parental approval.

Standridge also proposed permitting county employees to serve as poll workers with supervisor approval and without requiring use of vacation or sick leave, a practice some other counties use. The county’s minimum poll‑worker staffing need is 90 people; Standridge said the current verified number leaves little margin for no‑shows.

The clerk said the office will print the poll book on Monday after early voting ends (rather than printing Thursday), which reduces the workload of correcting lists for voters who cast early ballots; she also said the office no longer needs to prepare a roster book per the Secretary of State, saving additional steps. The county currently lists 17 polling locations and 97 precinct parts; Standridge said precinct parts reflect township, city and legislative boundaries and that consolidation could reduce the number of poll books and workers but would require a mapping visit to the Secretary of State’s office in Topeka and coordination with townships, cities and school districts.

Standridge asked commissioners for permission to post the poll‑worker application online and to pursue outreach to civic groups and high schools; commissioners voiced support for recruitment efforts and for exploring consolidation only after consulting the Secretary of State.