Become a Poll Worker

Welcome! We are happy to see you are interested in becoming a new poll worker. 

The City of Malden is rapidly growing and so is the need for active people who are interested in helping us provide fair and honest elections to all of Malden's voters. There is nothing more important to our democracy and we count on our team of poll workers to help ensure all voters are freely able to practice their right to vote. 

At this time, we have a great need for bilingual speaking poll workers, especially those who are fluent in Cantonese and/or Mandarin. There are no residency requirements to be a Massachusetts poll worker and we even have limited spots available for 16 and 17 year old's. Student poll workers, in addition to receiving a paid stipend, may also use this time to fulfill community service activity hours. 

Below we have provided some basic information for applicants but in order to get set up in our payroll system every poll worker must first fill out a W-4 and I-9 along with an Employee Personnel Application Form, which can be downloaded and printed from the corresponding links. 

Once the three required forms are filled out please return to the City Clerk's Office with proper identification for the I-9, as is outlined on page three of the PDF. This is very important as no applicant may be processed if they have not submitted required identification. 

Please contact Dinah at the City Clerk’s office if you have any questions or need assistance in filling out this information. After all paperwork has been processed through our Human Resources Department, applicants will be contacted with further information on upcoming poll worker orientation and training sessions.

Below are a few items that will aid you in getting comfortable in your new task.

  • The 2023 Preliminary, if needed, is on Tuesday, September 19 and the General Election is Tuesday, November 7. Malden has eight wards, each ward is broken into three precincts, there are additionally three sub-precincts. A complete list of all 27 voting precincts may be found at this link. 
  • Please report to work on Election Day at 6:00 am to allow for enough set up time before the polls open at 7:00. The polls stay open until 8:00 pm, at which time your Precinct Warden will instruct you on the closing process and dismiss the Inspectors once voting tallies are completed. Time of dismissal is typically between 8:30 and 8:45 pm. Elections bringing in a higher voter turnout may require you to stay a bit later than this. The Warden’s discretion is final.
  • For the day’s work, you will be compensated $180-$250, depending on position worked. Throughout the day you will receive a lunch and dinner break issued at a time according to the Warden’s approval.
  • Compensation paid to election workers is not subject to income tax withholding under Section 3401 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code, however, it is strongly recommended you speak with a tax professional in regards to earned income reporting requirements.
  • On Election Day, you will be working with several people who have been trained poll workers for many years. They will build on your preliminary training by assisting you with all procedures and answer any questions you may have about the voting process. Additionally, you will be provided with a Poll Workers Instruction book to review while you work.
  • Sometimes there is much down time in between voters. We encourage poll workers to bring books, knitting, etc. to stay busy during such times. Cell phones are allowed but not to be used for music, videos, or any other audio that would be distracting to the voting process.
  • Occasionally a poll worker may run for office, be closely associated with a candidate for office, or take a particularly active and public position on a ballot question or candidacy in an election. To avoid any perceived conflict of interest, potential poll workers should review the Campaign Activity Policy and contact this office for further information on election work eligibility.

If you have any questions please contact Dinah Fajardo at 781-397-7116 or dfajardo@cityofmalden.org.

 

Related Documents

  1. Employee Personnel Form (PDF)
  2. W-4 2023 (PDF)
  3. I-9 2023 (PDF)
  4. 2023 Polling Places English (PDF)
  5. 2023 Polling Places Chinese (PDF)
  6. Election Staff Conflict of Interest Policy (PDF)