High turnover across U.S. for top poll workers amid threats, harrassment

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A CBS News investigation has been digging deeper into high turnover rates among top election officials across the nation since the last presidential election in 2020.

However, in Wake County,  Elections Board Director, Olivia McCall told CBS 17’s Baron James that operations are moving along according to plans and that the numbers are considerably up of people training to become elections officials.

“We work with a local state even federal partners to ensure that we have a plan for anything that might come our way,” McCall said.

Tuesday afternoon, some 200 civic-minded folks trained at the Operations Center in Raleigh to join the rest of the 4,200 who will work the polls from early voting to election day.

“There’s always a need for people simply because some do it and then later decide it was too much work. (They) didn’t wanna come back,” Poll trainee, James Lindley, said.

The CBS News investigation found that across the country since the last presidential election some 36%  of election officials have chosen to retire; or quit because of harassment and death threats in a politically hostile and divided nation.

“Security is always one of our top concerns whether it’s our workers or precinct officials or voters, “ McCall said.

Also according to the CBS investigation, experts worry that the inexperience of new supervisors could lead to mistakes impacting timely voting, vote counting, certification,  and ultimately affecting election results.

In precincts across North Carolina, the most recent data CBS 17 has from the NC State Board of Elections show in the last 5 years county election directors have changed 58 times.

Director McCall, who’s been in the position for about a year in a half since her predecessor retired, says they have plans in place to ensure smooth operations.

“Plans have to be made, and we have to make sure that safety is a top priority, “McCall added.

CBS 17 also reached out to other area counties, and Franklin County’s Elections Director, Michelle Chavis, told James the poll worker numbers are up there as well. 

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Baron James

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