Working at the Election

We are now recruiting election officials to work on October 5 and 11, 2022 (advance voting days) and October 15, 2022 (general election day).

To apply:

Priority will be given to those with previous election experience and the balance will be selected by a draw of names that will be confirmed by email late-August.

Compensation

Payment for working all day (advance and general voting days) is $300 plus a $50 meal allowance and $35 for training. 

All election officials are required to attend a mandatory training session (1-2 hrs) which will be scheduled between September 12 and 29.

  • If you are not able to attend the training session, please do not complete an application.
  • If you have worked a previous election for North Cowichan and wish to work the 2022 general local election, you are required to complete an application.
  • All applicants will be notified by the end of August if they have been successful or not.

Hours

If you commit to work on (advance and general) voting day, we ask that you arrive at your assigned voting place by 7:30 a.m. to ensure that you are ready to go when the doors open at 8:00 a.m. You must remain at the voting place all day until the Presiding Election Official advises that you can leave.  We anticipate that you will be able to leave the voting place by 8:15 p.m. or earlier. Election officials scheduled to work on general voting day should vote at one of the advanced polls.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • To be an impartial and neutral representative on the election team;
  • To have excellent verbal communication skills;
  • To have basic English literacy and language skills (the person does not have to be a native speaker but should be able to communicate adequately);
  • To have basic arithmetic and analytical skills;
  • To understand and follow oral directions, written instructions, or checklists;
  • To have the stamina and patience to interact with a variety of people throughout a very long day;
  • To do repetitive work accurately and efficiently;
  • To conduct themselves in a professional and efficient manner;
  • To act responsibly and exercise good judgment;
  • To have good attention to detail;
  • To have good interpersonal skills for dealing with a variety of people;
  • To be able to communicate orally in another language (not required); and
  • To be able to communicate in writing in another language (not required).

Election Official Duties

  • Directs voters and provides information on the process
  • Confirms identity of voters and issues ballots
  • Attends the ballot box
  • Registers new voters
  • Supervise the ballot box and voting booths
  • Other duties as assigned

Additional information

Becoming involved in the electoral process is a great way for young adults to become educated electors before they are old enough to vote. Given that North Cowichan often employs people in this age bracket (15 to 17) to administer recreation programs which may include children, the human resources department is familiar with the employment restrictions for this age bracket. The Chief Election Officer will interview each young adult who applies and will make a decision on a case-by-case basis. These young adults can fill the positions of greeters, machine attendant, or voting booth attendant at the voting place.

As an election official you must remain neutral and impartial at all times and must not publicly support candidates. Maintaining the integrity of the election is of the utmost importance.

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