Work at the Polls

Election Officers & Volunteers

News (Updated 7/30/21)

• Election officer assignments for the November 2nd will be sent out around mid-September.
• We are working to balance returning officers and new officers. Many long-serving officers stepped aside in 2020 due to health risks and we had a flood of new applications from community members that wanted to get involved. We are doing our best to keep both groups engaged, but we may not have enough spots to go around for an individual election. For example, we have less than 500 election officer spots for the November election with more than 1,050 officers wanting to work. We will work to balance out these assignments over the election cycle as best we can and appreciate the support and interest from so many of you. We are all part of one big team to make sure elections are run fairly and accurately in Arlington whether you are in the game or on the bench ready to go in for the next one. 
• The training format for this fall remains an open question.  We will likely use a mix of in person and online training this fall depending on the experience level and position of the officer.  We will update as we know more about the COVID situation as training nears in early October.
  
  

Become an Election Officer

Election Officers are an essential position that serve voters at polling places on Election Day and during early voting.  To serve, you must be a registered Virginia voter.  High school students and volunteers can also work at polling places or assist with election-related activities.  Learn more:
Apply to Be an Election Official

Training

Once election officers have received an official assignment to work the election, they must complete a training class.  Assignment emails are customized each election to notify the election officer what type of training they must complete.  Links:
Online Training

Resources

This section offers resources and forms election officers sometimes need to complete before an election.
Election Officer Oath - Fill out only after completing a training class.
Election Officer Assignment Page - Check to see if you are assigned to the upcoming election.
W9 Tax Form - For election officers working for the first time or those who have recently changed name or address.

Questions or Issues

Send us an email at pollworkers@arlingtonva.us or call us at 703-228-3456.