What you do
You help run a polling place for one day. You set it up, welcome voters, check
registrations and hand out ballots.
You sign up with your own state or local election office. There is no app
and no company in the middle.
Training comes first, and in many places it is paid. South Carolina offers it
online or in person. Clark County trains in person. Its
Monitor class runs 3 hours and its Poll Pad Operator class 6 hours.
What it pays
There is no national rate. The federal elections agency says pay is set
locally. So the only honest answer is a list of real places.
Here is what eight election offices published when we checked. We read seven of
them on Oct 9, 2026 and Maricopa County on Oct 14, 2026:
- New Jersey: $300 for election day. Early voting days pay $21.43 an
hour instead.
- New York City: $250 for the day, plus $100 for training, paid only
if you pass the exam.
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio: $220 to start.
- Clark County, Nevada: a flat $200 or $250, depending on the job,
plus $50 for training.
- South Carolina: $75 for election day, plus $60 for training, so $135
in total.
- Los Angeles County, California: $100 for each day served, for up to
10 days, plus $80 for training.
- Miami-Dade County, Florida: a stipend set by position. Its pay chart
lists election day pay. A poll deputy gets $120.31 and an assistant
clerk $198.60. An election specialist gets $223.32 and a clerk
$260.40.
Training and setup pay come on top. The chart is headed 2022 but
marked revised June 2026, so ask the county if it is current.
- Maricopa County, Arizona: paid by the hour, from $15.15. Jobs run
28, 8, 4 or 2 days, or Election Day only. Election Day-only spots
are limited.
That is a four times difference between South Carolina and New Jersey for the
same long day.
One more thing worth knowing. South Carolina says counties may pay more than the
state rate. So even a state figure can be a floor rather than the number.
Your own county sets your pay. Ask it directly.
Who this fits
This fits you if you can give one full day and want it to matter.
You do not need a computer or a smartphone. You do not need experience.
It fits younger people too. New Jersey takes poll workers from age 16, and
Clark County takes high school students at 16.
It fits people who like being useful in their own neighbourhood.
Who should skip this
Skip this if you cannot do a very long day. New York City runs 5:00 a.m. until
after 9:00 p.m.. Clark County calls it about 14 hours.
Skip it if you cannot stay put. Miami-Dade does not let poll workers leave the
polling place during the day.
Maricopa County may not have a one-day spot for you. Election Day-only sites
are limited and not guaranteed. The county also asks for open availability.
Skip it if you are not registered to vote where you would work. Most places we
checked require it. New Jersey is an exception for people
under 18.
Skip it in Cuyahoga County if you have a felony conviction, because that county
bars it.
Skip it if you need the money quickly. Cuyahoga County mails cheques four to six
weeks after election day. Miami-Dade mails them three to four weeks
after.
Skip it in Cuyahoga County if you cannot lift about 35 pounds. Its job
description asks for that. Maricopa County asks you to lift 25 pounds and
carry it 100 feet.
Skip it in New York City if you are not enrolled in a major party, because
inspectors there must be.
How to start, step by step
- Find your own election office. State or county, not a national website.
- Ask three questions: what does it pay, is training paid, and when does the
cheque arrive?
- Check the rules for your area. Age, residency, voter registration and party
rules all differ.
- Sign up early. Offices recruit weeks ahead of an election.
- Go to the training. In Florida it is required before every single
election. Clark County makes you pass it before each election.
- Ask what time you must arrive. Several places start before 5:30 a.m..
- Ask whether you can take breaks, and whether you may leave the building.
Before you pay anyone: You always sign up through your own election office. Nobody legitimate charges a fee to become a poll worker.
Your first week
There is no first week. There is one long day, so plan the day instead.
The night before. Lay out your clothes and pack your food. Charge your phone.
Set two alarms, because the start time is early.
Morning. Arrive before the polls open. Miami-Dade asks people to report at
5:30 a.m. for a 7 a.m. opening.
Midday. Eat, even when it is busy. You may not be allowed to leave the
building.
Evening. Polls close and the work does not. Cuyahoga County workers stay until
about 8:30 p.m., and New York City past 9:00 p.m..
Afterwards. Ask when payment comes and in what form. Cuyahoga County says four
to six weeks. Miami-Dade says three to four.
Nothing you buy. Bring food, water and shoes you can stand in.
- A packed meal and a full water bottle Miami-Dade does not let poll workers leave the polling place all day. The day can run about 14 hours.
- Shoes you can stand in all day Shifts start before dawn and end after the polls close.
- A phone charger or power bank You are at one site from 5:30 a.m. until shut-down and may not be able to step out. You can start without it.
The downsides
The day is very long, and the pay does not change if it runs late.
Pay varies enormously by where you live, from $75 to $300 in the places we
checked.
You may wait a month or more for the money.
Rules can shut you out for reasons that have nothing to do with you. Party
enrolment in New York City. A felony conviction in Cuyahoga County.
It happens only on election days, so it is not steady work.
Questions people ask
Is this taxed? Yes. The IRS counts poll worker pay as taxable wages.
No income tax is taken out unless you ask for it with a W-4. Social
Security and Medicare tax depend on your state’s agreement and on a yearly
threshold. For 2026 the IRS puts that threshold at $2,500.
Will I get a tax form? The 2026 IRS instructions say to report pay of
$2,000 or more to election workers on a W-2. You can also get a W-2 for
less than $2,000. That is when Social Security and Medicare tax was taken
out under your state’s deal, called a section 218 agreement. This W-2 line
is $2,000. It is not the same as the $2,500 tax line above. This is
employee work, so it should not be reported on a 1099.
Do I have to be a registered voter? Usually yes. New
Jersey does not require it for workers under 18. Los Angeles County also
takes legal permanent residents.
Is there a background check? None of the pages we read say whether one is
run. Cuyahoga County
bars anyone with a felony conviction. Ask your election office what it
checks.
Can a teenager do this? In some places. New Jersey takes 16 year olds.
Maricopa County requires 18.
Sources and dates
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Become a Poll Worker, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- New Jersey Division of Elections, Poll Worker Application page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- New York City Board of Elections, Election Inspector page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- New York City Board of Elections, Poll Worker Positions page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Clark County, Nevada Election Department, Poll Workers page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio Board of Elections, Election Day Workers page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- South Carolina Election Commission, Poll Managers page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Maricopa County, Arizona Elections Department, Get Involved with Elections page, checked Oct 14, 2026.
- Miami-Dade County, Florida Supervisor of Elections, Poll Workers page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, Election workers: Reporting and withholding, checked Oct 30, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026), checked Oct 30, 2026.
- Miami-Dade County, Florida Supervisor of Elections, Poll Worker Paychart, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Miami-Dade County, Florida Supervisor of Elections, Poll Worker FAQs, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Community Election Workers page, checked Oct 9, 2026.
- New York City Board of Elections, Poll Worker Application (PDF), checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Clark County, Nevada Election Department, Raise the Vote general information (PDF), checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio Board of Elections, Precinct Election Official Job Description (PDF), checked Oct 9, 2026.
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission, State-by-State Compendium: Election Worker Laws and Statutes (Aug 2026), checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15 (2026), Circular E, Employer’s Tax Guide, checked Oct 30, 2026.
- Maricopa County, Arizona Elections Department, Get Involved with Elections page, poll worker tab, checked Oct 14, 2026.
- Miami-Dade County, Florida Supervisor of Elections, Poll Worker Paychart, checked Oct 14, 2026.
What we could not confirm
- We read seven places on Oct 9, 2026, and Maricopa County on Oct 14, 2026. The $75 to $300 range rests on five day rates. It is not a national range. Your own county may pay less or more.
- Maricopa County AZ pays by the hour, starting at $15.15. We left it out of the range. We read its page on Oct 14, 2026. The page gives a 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. day and how long jobs last. No source we read says how many hours you would be paid for.
- Miami-Dade County pays by position. Election day pay includes $120.31 for a poll deputy and $260.40 for a clerk. Other jobs pay other amounts. Training and setup pay come on top, so a clerk can reach $346.31.
- We read Los Angeles County's page on Oct 9, 2026. It pays $100 for each day served and $80 for training. We did not add it to the range. Chicago's election board page would not open on Oct 9 or Oct 14, 2026. So Chicago is not listed.
- Social Security and Medicare tax may or may not come out of your pay. The IRS says it depends on your state's agreement and a yearly pay threshold. IRS Publication 15 gives $2,500 for 2026.
- None of the pages we read say whether poll pay affects your benefits. The Social Security site would not open for us on Oct 9 or Oct 14, 2026. Ask the agency that pays your benefit.
- Training differs by place. South Carolina offers online and in-person classes. Clark County trains in person. Its classes run 3 hours for a monitor and 6 hours for a poll pad operator. Cuyahoga County lists online training that needs a login. New York City requires a class and an exam. The pages we read do not say how long the class is or whether it is online.
- The county pages we read do not say whether they run a background check. Cuyahoga County bars anyone with a felony conviction. Ask your election office what it checks.
- Rates change from one election to the next. We read most figures again in October 2026: seven places on Oct 9 and Maricopa County on Oct 14. Check your county's current page.
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How to pick a side gig that fits you