Onondaga County seeks poll workers for Election Day shifts
Onondaga County is offering $272 for a 17-hour Election Day shift as it tries to fill more than 2,000 inspector slots.
The Onondaga County Board of Elections is recruiting election inspectors for a 17-hour Election Day shift that pays $272, a day rate that matches New York’s $16 minimum wage outside New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. More than 2,000 inspectors staff schools, churches and other polling places across the county.
That is a hard sell in a county where the workday runs from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the board cannot offer half-day shifts or volunteer positions. If too few residents sign up, the pressure falls on check-in tables, poll-site managers and the county’s ability to keep lines moving for voters who need a fast stop before work, after school pickups or near closing time. Nearby Monroe County’s 2026 posting includes the same 17-hour Election Day commitment, plus $25 for training and paid breaks.
New York law uses the term election inspectors for poll workers, and state election law requires every board of elections to hold mandatory training for inspectors, poll clerks and election coordinators at least once a year, with training offered no less often than quarterly. Applicants must be registered voters in the county, be able to speak, read and write English, and are recommended to register in either the Democratic or Republican Party, though the county is training all voters and has limited spots for people registered in other parties. Bilingual Spanish speakers are especially welcome.
Residents who want to sign up must complete a Poll Worker Survey and mail it to the Board of Elections. The survey has to be received before a certification class can be scheduled, and once it arrives, applicants are added to the poll-worker mailing list and notified when classes open. Spring 2026 classes have ended, and the next round of schedules will go out in July. The class lasts 3.5 hours, includes a written test and is required every year.
State election officials criticized the board in 2024 over concerns that could threaten the integrity of an upcoming election, and county Republicans replaced Michele Sardo with Kevin P. Ryan on Jan. 1, 2025.
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