Elections 2024: everything you need to know to become an election official

Editorial Note: This story was made possible thanks to a grant from María Fund, in collaboration with Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción and Escuela de Liderazgo. 9 Millones, as well as these two organizations, are part of the #PrendeTuVoto coalition.

With only 13 days to go until the General Elections, every party is recruiting election officials to safeguard the right to vote.. Although people usually think that these officials only work on Nov. 5 — election day — the process lasts more than one day. Election officials are already processing absentee and early voting.

So, if you are interested in becoming one of the people who protect the country’s democracy, how do you become a poll worker? Keep reading and find out!

What are election officials?

Election officials are people affiliated to one of the five parties or an independent candidate that volunteer to make sure that electoral processes in Puerto Rico comply with the Electoral Code.

Why are election officials important?

From assembling mail-in ballots for absentee and early voting weeks before the general elections, to helping you with the voting machine when it does not accept your ballot, election officials are fundamental to people choosing the political leaders that will govern during the next four-year term.

If it were not for the voluntary labor of these election officials, Puerto Rico would not be able to hold elections of any kind.

What are the differences between an election official and a poll worker?

Because the great majority of people have visited a polling station during the day of the general elections instead of voting by mail or another form of early voting, poll workers are the most visible to the average Puerto Rican voter. However, the reality is that “election official” refers to any active voter that works during the electoral process. This labor includes not only in-person voting, but all the different modalities of suffrage: early, absentee, at-home, in hospitals or prisons.

Additionally, these workers are also in charge of the general vote review, where they deal with ballots that have been challenged, recused, or not adjudicated — as well as special polling places for provisional voting, early or absentee ballots received by mail — to see if they will be awarded or annulled.

What prerequisites must you meet to be an election official?

To become an election official, you only need to be a registered voter and approach a political party or independent candidate to inform them of your interest in serving as an election official for them. (The trainings are typically done in Spanish).

If you are a registered voter, you should call the party you are affiliated with, or its election commissioner, for guidance on where and when you can take an official training. If you want to become an official for an independent candidate, contact them directly at their offices. For example, the representative for San Juan’s District 2, Luis Raúl Torres Cruz confirmed that he is recruiting coordinators  for the 114 Permanent Registration Boards, of which he has already enlisted 70. Meanwhile, at-large senator José Vargas Vidot confirmed that he is also recruiting coordinators and observers, but did not specify how many.

Most of the workshops for officials are outside regular working hours —in the evenings or on weekends — so that more people can attend.

The vast majority of these workshops will be to train polling station officials for Nov. 5. However, if you would like to work as an absentee or incarcerated voting official, for example, let the trainer know that you would like to serve in that capacity, and they will guide you from there. If you want to help with the different forms of early or absentee voting, be sure to contact your preferred party or candidate as well.

What are the different roles that a polling station official can have?

It is important to note that the electoral processes are presided over by the party in charge of the government. For the 2024 Elections, it will be the New Progressive Party (PNP in Spanish). However, the other parties have the same right to inspect the ballot boxes and verify that the accumulated votes in the electronic polling machines are at zero before voting begins at 9:00 a.m., as well as to deliver the ballots to voters. Likewise, all polling station officials, regardless of party, obtain a receipt of the number of votes cast in the voting machine after the event ends at 5:00 p.m.

Since each party may have up to three officials per polling station, there are three roles that each official may have during the general election. The first role is that of inspector general, who must open the boxes containing the ballots and sign the ballots with his or her initials for them to be valid. Next is the secretary, who is the person in charge of taking attendance with the election registry. (In the 2024 Elections, the PNP will be in charge of the e-poll book or the electronic register of electors. In the meantime, a Popular Democratic Party official will have a printed list with the names and photos of active voters assigned to his or her polling place. The rest of the secretaries from the other parties will have a list without photos.) Lastly, they can take on the role of alternate inspector, who manages the flow of voters within the polling station and verifies the finger inking of voters.

According to the Procedures Manual for the General Elections and Scrutiny Process in 2024, there can be up to 15 people collaborating in these tasks — three per party. However, it is likely that the parties will not reach the quota of three per polling station. In the case of the minority parties, their commissioners did not rule out the possibility of creating an alliance to share officials in some municipalities. In order to operate an electoral college, a minimum of two officials per party is required, so that there may be electoral balance. However, if there is no electoral balance at the time of opening, the Electoral Unit Board shall authorize the opening of the election in the e-poll book and shall record it in the Certificate of Incidences of that unit and polling place.

The coordinator, the person in charge of all logistics, and the subcoordinator, who directs people to the different polling places, shall be outside the polling unit while the officials are inside.

Each event has certain limitations related to the number of people who may serve as officials at a polling place, and how they work on the day of the general election. For example, on election day there can only be a maximum of three polling place officials per political party, and they may not wear clothing that alludes to a political party.

It is possible to be a polling place official for an independent candidate, but there are fewer of these per polling place than partisan election officials. In fact, two independent legislators told 9 Millones that they are only recruiting coordinators for the general elections and the vote scrutiny process. The Puerto Rico Electoral Code does not allow one to be a poll official without being tied to a party or candidate.

What do polling place officials do if they see a problem or irregularity during the voting process?

During the electoral process, the designated person in the electoral hierarchy should always be notified of the problem.

If a polling place official observes an irregularity during the electoral process, it is their duty to call out those causing the problem. If this does not resolve it, the official should escalate the complaint to the coordinator of the party to which the official belongs. If among the coordinators it is not resolved, they escalate it to the local election commissioners and to the judge assigned to the electoral unit. From there, the complaint can escalate to the electoral commissioners of each party, and up to the Interim President of the State Elections Commission.

What else do you need to know to be a polling place official?

As a polling place official, you must arrive early — between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. — at your designated polling unit. Since it is a long day, you should not leave the polling station except for an emergency, bring a lunch box with a snack, or coordinate with someone to bring you food.

If you have not registered to be a polling place official by the day of the general elections, it is possible that the election commissioner, local election commissioner or any authorized official can register you as an official on the same day, if you arrive at a polling unit that still needs volunteers.

If you want to hear all this in layman’s terms, watch the video that 9 Millones made in collaboration with Política en Arroz y Habichuelas.