Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Election administrator seeks manager and poll-worker pay increase ahead of 2026 races
Summary
Linda Phillips, Shelby County Administrator of Elections, asked the budget subcommittee for $27,000 to alleviate salary compression for nine staff, a new voter services manager position (~$65,000 plus fringe) and to raise poll-worker pay from about $15 to $20 per hour (estimated $40,000–$100,000 depending on election scale).
Linda Phillips, the county's Administrator of Elections, told the subcommittee the office is preparing for the May 5, 2026 election and said many incumbents are term-limited so candidate volumes could be high. She identified salary compression as the office's biggest personnel problem and asked for $27,000 to raise pay for nine administrative technicians (roughly $1.53 per hour on average).
Phillips also requested a voter services manager (a supervisor-level position she estimated at about $65,000 plus fringe) to reduce reliance on temporary staff during peak periods, and she proposed raising poll-worker pay from approximately $15 to $20 per hour — an increase she estimated would cost about $40,000 for a midterm-scale cycle and around $100,000 in a presidential year. "Poll workers are the backbone of our elections," Phillips said, arguing higher pay would retain experienced personnel and reduce errors that later require correction.
Commissioners asked about an "enhanced voting" election-night reporting system; Phillips said the vendor-recommended system was funded through her office's O&M budget and not part of the new asks, and that no new voting equipment purchases were planned.
