Warrick County sets poll‑worker training dates, discusses recruitment and equipment training

Warrick County Election Board members agreed to hold poll‑worker training over two days in late March and to split sessions to cover morning, afternoon and evening shifts so workers can choose a convenient time.

Why it matters: Poll‑worker training and recruitment determine whether the county can fully staff polling sites for early voting and on election day. The board discussed contingency plans if venues or staffing fall short.

The board identified tentative training dates of March 26 and March 31 and said MicroVotes will provide equipment training while a county trainer named David will cover the duties of inspectors and judges. Paul Rudolph said a volunteer from the Knox County clerk’s office has offered to provide procedural training pro bono. Board members asked staff to pick dates that allow both trainers to present once, rather than repeating the same presentation multiple times.

On recruitment, board members and a Republican party representative, Connie, discussed using high‑school students (with a suggested 3.0 GPA minimum) as poll workers in prior cycles, allowing only one student per location to reduce distraction; split shifts were recommended to shorten the day for older workers; a proposal to increase poll‑worker pay was raised but members said the budget for the current year makes an immediate raise unlikely.

Nancy Woosley noted the need to coordinate with MicroVotes to ensure machines are available for hands‑on training; Mike Deetsch, the county auditor, was asked to be available after training sessions to help poll workers with required paperwork.

Next steps: staff will coordinate exact training times with trainers, confirm MicroVotes machine availability, and publish training dates to prospective poll workers once finalized.