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Election inspectors are more commonly known as poll workers. They are responsible for managing a polling place and maintaining order on election days. There's more to the job than handing out ballots.
To be eligible to serve as an inspector one must be a qualified elector: a U.S citizen age 18 or older who has resided in the election district for 28 consecutive days and is not otherwise disqualified to vote.
Inspectors are appointed by a municipality's governing body for a two-year election cycle. The most recent appointees were approved in December and will work the 2024 and 2025 elections.
State law requires that election inspectors receive training, provided by the municipal clerk, before working an election. They also must take an oath of office.
Election inspectors may be nominated by the two political parties whose candidates for governor or president received the largest number of votes in the previous general election, but they must still be qualified and undergo training.
If a municipality receives nomination lists from both parties and the lists have a sufficient number of nominees for the available positions, the clerk must balance the partisan inspectors at each polling place. State law requires a municipality to fill openings from the lists of partisan inspectors before it can turn to nonpartisan inspectors.
The job descriptoin says the duties of an inspector include "setting up the polling place, registering voters, recording election participation, issuing ballots, processing absentee ballots, monitoring and troubleshooting election equipment, counting votes, complete required forms, and delivering election night returns to the County Clerk. Work involves enforcement of state and federal election laws." It's not unusual for inspectors to work a 16-hour day.
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