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Councilors press Elections Department on language access, census outreach and poll‑worker recruitment
Summary
During the May 14 hearing, councilors sought details on language access, community outreach for the 2030 census and recruiting interpreters and poll workers; officials said ballots are printed in mandated languages, the department relies on community interpreters and asked for council assistance recruiting interpreters and outreach partners.
Councilors used a May 14 budget hearing to press the Elections Department on language access and community outreach strategies ahead of 2026. Councilor Brayton and others asked how the department will reach voters whose primary language is not English and how the city is preparing for the 2030 census.
Head Assistant Registrar Sabino Piemonte said ballots are printed in the languages required by law and that interpreters are critical to making voting accessible. Piemonte asked the council and community partners to help recruit interpreters; department materials are translated and posted on the department website and officials said they will do more community outreach than in prior years.
On census preparedness, officials said they are preparing federal materials and will support the agency in charge of the federal census locally. They urged residents to return annual census mailings, which officials described as an important starting point for accurate federal counts and related funding formulas.
Councilors and department staff also discussed poll‑worker recruitment and pay. Officials said the city hires about 2,000 poll workers per election cycle and that pay varies by position and training; entry‑level inspector stipends were discussed as roughly $160–$250 depending on role and training, and officials said they would study potential pay adjustments in comparison with peer cities.
The committee did not adopt new outreach programs during the hearing, but officials said they will return with further details and materials the council can distribute to encourage community participation.
