Beaufort County elections board adopts poll-worker staffing target ahead of Nov. 5

The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections voted Aug. 28 to adopt a staffing target of three poll workers for every 500 expected voters at each polling location, subject to the physical capacity of the site, and set Oct. 5 as the date to assess progress.

Matt Sweeney, who presented the ad hoc committee's recommendation, said the target gives the board an “explainable basis” for recruiting and answering questions from elected officials and the public. "If we have 50% availability of the current active poll workers, we will have enough poll workers," Sweeney said when describing how the target relates to the county's active pool. The motion was amended to include the Oct. 5 reporting date and carried in a 6–2 vote.

Board members debated whether adopting the target would put them in public view for failing to meet a statutory staffing standard. Sweeney and others acknowledged the county is unlikely to meet the older statutory ratio cited in state code—discussed in the meeting as 7-13-72—but argued the board needs a measurable, practical objective. One member said, "I hate to vote for something when I know in the back of my mind, we're not gonna make it," urging an achievable deadline.

Director Marie reported the staff response rate to poll-worker availability surveys at roughly 473 respondents and noted additional outreach calls and a waiting list are increasing the pool. Board members agreed recruiting should be an ongoing effort involving chambers, civic groups and the board itself. The board instructed staff to continue recruiting and to report poll-worker availability by Oct. 5.

The board's action is a policy-level target, not a change to law; members emphasized the target is subject to facility capacity and will not override safety or space constraints at small polling locations. The board will review staffing counts and consider further recruitment steps and training before the general election.