County Needs Election Day Workers – If Only Briefly

If you've ever wanted to be an Election Day worker but recoiled at the thought of putting in 14 hours, Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir has a job for you. At the LBJ Library today, DeBeauvoir announced a new program called the "Early Start Team": She is recruiting volunteers – especially young people and others who have never worked an election before – to take a shift of only two to four hours beginning at 6am to help set up one one of the 200 Election Day polling stations. If you're registered to vote in Travis County, know your way around a computer, and can lift 35 pounds, you're probably qualified. Today is "Volunteer for Democracy Day," a creation of last year's Legislature, and DeBeauvoir had Austin state Reps. Dawnna Dukes and Donna Howard at her side for the announcement. DeBeauvoir said she hopes the initiative will convince young people that they may eventually want to get even more involved in the election process, and supplement the AARP-ers who tend to dominate the polling place workforce. The primary election will be held March 4; deadline to register is Feb. 4, and early voting runs Feb. 19-29. To get involved with the election, call 854-4996 or go to www.traviscountyelections.org.