The Athens-Clarke County Government (ACCGov) Elections Department is seeking seasonal poll workers for the 2026 election cycle. Applications are open until Friday, February 27, with interviews scheduled for early March.
Poll workers will be paid between $15.60 and $17.94 per hour. Their responsibilities include setting up voting equipment, opening and closing polling locations, checking in voters, verifying IDs, answering questions from voters, ensuring compliance with election rules, and securing ballots.
Required hours for poll workers involve 8-10 hours of training six to eight weeks before Election Day, one to three hours of poll setup the day before each election, and a full workday on Election Day itself from 5:30 a.m. until completion—a shift that may last 14 to 16 hours. Additional shifts during advance voting are optional but encouraged; these take place Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with some extended hours possible in the three weeks leading up to each Election Day.
Key dates for the 2026 elections include Tuesday, May 19 (Local Elections & State/Federal Primary Elections), Tuesday, June 16 (Primary Runoff if needed), Tuesday, November 3 (General Election), and Tuesday, December 1 (General Election Runoff if needed).
Online applications can be submitted through the ACCGov jobs portal at www.accgov.com/jobs.
According to the official website, Athens operates as a consolidated government with Clarke County in Georgia and provides unified public services through its departments. These services include management of parks and community programs as well as historic preservation efforts such as those involving the Morton Theatre. The City of Athens has operated as a consolidated city-county government since January 1991 according to its official website.
