Perry County election officials set staffing, training and early‑voting schedule for primary

Perry County election officials finalized staffing levels, training dates and several logistics for the upcoming primary during a meeting that included routine approvals of minutes and resolutions.

The body agreed to hire 16 additional poll workers to staff precincts on primary day and discussed whether to assign extra judges or clerks at each location. Officials said clerks and judges can perform different functions but emphasized that each precinct must have a poll book and machine ballots assigned to that precinct.

Why it matters: Staffing and training decisions determine how quickly voters are processed at precincts and whether the county can offer sufficient early‑voting and travel‑board services for voters who cannot appear in person.

Officials set specific dates for training and setup: a travel‑board and early‑voting setup and training session is scheduled for Monday, April 6 at 1:00 p.m. in the county meeting room; clerk training is set for Saturday, May 2 at 8:30 a.m.; judges and inspectors will train at 9:30 a.m. on May 2. The group also set a follow‑up meeting for March 25 at 9:00 a.m. to confirm worker lists and finalize training notices.

A staff summary provided the county’s cost assumptions for the additional workers: a $100 pay rate per worker, a $15 meal allowance and a $20 training stipend were discussed; participants noted these figures when estimating the election budget. Officials also noted that a vendor (referred to in the meeting) has increased prices this year, affecting unbudgeted costs.

On absentee and early voting, officials said early voting will begin April 7 and that the first day a traveling absentee board may visit voters is April 16. Travel‑board workers were described as paid $60 per day plus mileage; the county discussed that adding days increases total compensation and that practices from prior years had varied.

The meeting clarified ballot logistics: absentee and mail‑out ballots must be printed per precinct so ballots match voter precincts; sample ballots accompany mailouts and should be marked "SAMPLE" so they cannot be used as official ballots. Staff described the routine for handling ballots that do not scan — creating a "remake" card, annotating reasons and keeping originals with remakes for recount documentation.

Officials also discussed transportation of voting machines and supplies, noting the need for a large rental vehicle (not a semi) to move equipment from the courthouse after polls close and to synchronize electronic poll books and machine ballots during the load‑out process.

Quotes tied to roles: the meeting chair began by calling the session to order, stating, "Okay. Well, we'll call this meeting to order." A board member summarized staffing needs, saying, "Now those are just the additional workers... you're going to have 16 extra workers." A staff member confirmed the travel‑board pay, noting, "And it's $60 a day." All quotes are attributed to functional roles recorded in the meeting transcript; the transcript did not assign individual full names to the speaking turns used here.

What remains unspecified: the meeting approved five resolutions and signed official copies, but the transcript did not include the substance or ordinance numbers of those resolutions; those details were recorded as "not specified" in the meeting record. Several deadlines and appointment procedures were discussed (mid‑March names due and the chairs’ appointment process), but some timelines were described conversationally and will be confirmed by staff.

The meeting ended with an adjournment and a plan for attendees to inventory absentee supplies and return to the storage cabinet to verify on‑hand materials.