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Councilmembers raise concerns about election-office staff time and poll-worker training records
Summary
Councilmembers discussed two personnel issues in the county election office: an allegation that staff were assigned to set up a party caucus during work hours and reports that some poll workers were paid for required training without documentation of attendance.
A councilmember said he had been told that five or six workers in the Lake County election office were assigned to set up a party caucus during work hours and that the county was told the party would repay the county for employee time. "I bring this up because of the the financial aspect of it and also some of the personnel aspects of it," the councilmember said, adding that the personnel manual prohibits political work on government time.
The speaker asked the council to obtain information about who authorized the work, whether repayment occurred and how the county planned to correct any improper use of staff hours. He also said records showed several election inspectors who were paid a training stipend had no documentation that they attended required training.
Other councilmembers said the matter had been raised with the county election board and with the county party chair who appoints workers for the office. One councilmember said he would attend the election board meeting next week and ask about the discrepancies in training records and the alleged use of staff time for a party event.
No formal disciplinary action, audit, or directive was recorded in the meeting transcript. Council members said the issue needs investigation and that outside agencies or the county prosecutor could review any potential wrongdoing.
The transcript records the concern as raised verbally during the council meeting and shows an intent among some members to follow up at the election board and through available oversight channels; it does not include evidence of repayment or the results of any subsequent review.
