June 23, 2006
Chinese, bilingual speaking poll workers needed for fall elections
King County Elections needs bilingual poll workers to work in the September primary and November general election.
Bilingual poll workers are responsible for providing language assistance to Chinese voters with limited English proficiency, assisting in the set up and closing of polling places on Election Day, and instructing voters on proper voting procedures.
"Our bilingual poll workers make a tremendous difference to new, Chinese voters by helping them to participate in the democratic process, which is something newly naturalized citizens can spend decades working towards," said Dean Logan, director of the Records, Elections and Licensing Division.
If you are interested in working in either of these elections, you must be proficient in both English and Chinese languages (Cantonese preferred), attend a four hour mandatory training class, and be available to work from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Election Day. Some travel may be required.
Bilingual poll workers will receive a minimum of $118.26 for their work on Election Day, plus additional payment for training.
To be a bilingual poll worker call the Chinese Voter Hotline at 206-296-1544, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Background
As required by federal law, King County provides election materials in Chinese because of the number of Chinese speaking citizens identified in the 2000 U.S. Census. The Census noted that 10,535 Chinese American, voting age citizens indicated that they have limited English proficiency and that their English literacy rate is below that of the national standard (5th Grade). No other limited-English proficiency group was identified as meeting the federal threshold for minority language voter assistance in King County during the 2000 Census.
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