Lomax bill to raise poll workers’ pay is signed

HUNTSVILLE — A bill raising the pay for poll workers has been signed into law, State Rep. James Lomax, the bill’s sponsor, announced today.

According to Lomax, the legislation signed by Gov. Kay Ivey provides a $50 pay increase for poll workers in Alabama. It also helps ensure that elections across the state remain fully staffed and voting remains easily accessible for all.

“The men and women who work in almost 2,000 polling places across 67 counties provide an invaluable service to their fellow Alabamians, but despite working as long as 16 hours in a day, their pay has not been increased since 2006,” Lomax said. “Recruiting, retaining, and rewarding our poll workers is essential to conducting efficient and honest elections, and in these times of skyrocketing inflation and a tightening economy, any increase we can offer is helpful.”

Madison County Probate Judge Frank Barger, who among his duties served as election
administrator, applauded Lomax for his efforts. Barger said he has seen the dedication poll workers demonstrate each election season.

“Poll workers are the front line defense for ensuring our secure and well-run elections,”
Barger said. “I am so pleased to see compensation increased statewide for our dedicated
election workers.”

Probate judges across the state reported a decrease in those willing to work the polls following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, so some areas have run advertisements encouraging citizens to serve and others have recruited high school students to work alongside veteran precinct workers, many of whom are retired seniors.

“In order to make sure voting is quick, simple, and easy for every Alabamians who wants to participate, we must have a sufficient number of workers available, “ Lomax said. “That requires local officials to continually recruit and train new workers each election, and I am confident this pay increase will assist them in those efforts.”