County parties assist in the administration of elections by recruiting volunteers to serve on their behalf at Early Voting sites during the Early Voting period and in Precincts on Election Day itself. The key roles are:
- Serve as poll greeters (outside the polling place) to electioneer on behalf of the Republican candidates. This includes setup and take-down of the GOP table, signage, sample ballots, and campaign literature (OCGOP office will support you on this) outside Early Voting sites and your Precinct’s polling place.
- Serve as poll observers (inside the polling place). Training is required; both online and in-person training will be offered; see below for dates and times. Volunteer names need to be forwarded to the Orange County Board of Elections in advance, so it's best to sign up early to allow time for this training and notification.
- Work as Election Judges or Assistants (paid County position inside the polling place). Names need to be submitted to OCGOP by Wednesday, Sep 30, as workers will need time to apply with the Orange County Board of Elections and complete their training in order to serve.
You may find it helpful to create a team of friends or neighbors to serve as poll greeters together. This represents an opportunity to create camaraderie and have some fun with your fellow volunteers!
Working inside the polls as either a poll observer or Election Judge or Assistant is a great way to ensure election integrity for our Party and to get to know more voters in your area.
Please click on the appropriate link(s) below to volunteer as a poll greeter or poll observer. As the election approaches, you will receive further information and instructions regarding your role.
POLL GREETER (OUTSIDE) - EARLY VOTING
POLL GREETER (OUTSIDE) - ELECTION DAY
POLL OBSERVER (INSIDE) - EARLY VOTING
POLL OBSERVER (INSIDE) - ELECTION DAY
If you are interested in working as an Election Judge or Assistant, please send an email by Wednesday, September 30, to OCGOP Secretary, Becky Mela, at [email protected].
If you have any other questions related to volunteering as a poll worker or observer, please contact Becky Mela, OCGOP Secretary, as soon as practicable at [email protected].
INFORMATION FOR POLL OBSERVERS
Key Steps to Becoming a Poll Observer:
- Establish NCEIT account
- Attend in-person OR online poll observer training
- Attend online SEIRS training
- Sign up for shifts using above links
Training is required for poll observers. If you are new to poll observing, or previously served but want to refresh your memory, the NC Election Integrity Team (NCEIT) will be offering in-person training as well as Zoom training sessions online. We will also be using NCEIT's Statewide Election Incident Reporting System (SEIRS) to submit incident reports via cell phone from the polling sites.
All poll observers, therefore, need to make sure to have an online account with NCEIT well before Early Voting begins, even if you have served before, as a NCEIT account will be required to log into the online Zoom training sessions or to use the SEIRS system.
- How to Create/Verify an NCEIT Account: Click on this link to visit NCEIT's homepage, then click on the Join Us tab, and sign up as a member (it's free). If you have previously served, you may already have an NCEIT account. Please verify this by going to NCEIT's homepage and attempting to log in. If you are not able to log in, you will need to sign up again. Note that members are vetted, so it may take a day or two for your account to be approved, so best to plan ahead and create your account now.
Once your account is established, choose the in-person OR online poll observer training session(s) that are most convenient for you. To check for the latest updates to NCEIT's statewide training schedule, go here.
- In-Person Training: NCEIT will be offering in-person training at Durham GOP headquarters on Saturday, Oct. 3. All new poll observers are strongly encouraged to attend this session, as it is the most comprehensive training available. Cost is $15 to attend to cover materials and boxed lunch. Volunteers serving as poll observers for Orange County may request reimbursement for the cost after completion of the training. For more information or to sign up, click here.
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Online Training: NCEIT will also conduct a free 90-minute online version of Poll Observer training on the following dates and times in October for those who wish to take advantage of this convenient option. Online training is useful as a refresher, and those new to poll observing can attend any or all of the sessions (each session covers same content) if they want the repetition.
- Tuesday, Oct 6, 12:30-2:00 PM
- Monday, Oct 12, 7:00-8:30 PM
- Tuesday, Oct 13, 12:30-2:00 PM
Training materials for the online sessions are available under the Member Resources tab of NCEIT's homepage.
The Zoom link for all sessions is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89039227359?pwd=4zy7DQS3ybpayRcWuCeq39NIqmry7w.1
Note: Poll Observer training is also offered online through the NCGOP Go Red! training series on Tuesday, Oct 13, from 1-2 PM and is repeated from 6-7 PM (same content offered each time). This training session moves quickly and is not nearly as extensive in content, but if you are not available at the times NCEIT's training is offered, this is an alternative. You can sign up here. No printed materials or other resources are provided by NCGOP as part of this training. OCGOP therefore recommends the NCEIT training as the preferred option. Anyone taking the NCGOP poll observer training will still be required to have an NCEIT login and use the SEIRS reporting system.
Finally, please plan to attend one of the online SEIRS training session(s) to ensure you can log in and access the reporting website on your phone and know how to report any incidents you observe.
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SEIRS Training: NCEIT will be holding online training for the SEIRS poll observer reporting system that all observers will be asked to use to record any incidents. These sessions are offered:
- Thursday, Oct 1, 7:00-8:00 PM
- Monday, Oct 5, 7:00-8:00 PM
- Wednesday, Oct 7, 12:00-1:00 PM
- Wednesday, Oct 14, 12:00-1:00 PM
The Zoom link for all SEIRS training sessions is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89039227359?pwd=4zy7DQS3ybpayRcWuCeq39NIqmry7w.1
As the election nears, poll observers will receive further information from OCGOP by email. In the meantime, you can check out the links below for some useful resources, and you can go to the red links above to sign up for shifts. Reminder: observers must be signed up by 9 AM on the day prior to serving a shift, as we are required by statute to send names to the Board of Elections each day for the following day's shifts.
Thank you for your willingness to serve!
Poll Observer Resources: