SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) – Sarasota County’s Supervisor of Elections, Ron Turner, is asking willing voters who are able to read and speak English and Spanish fluently to become a part of his election day team.

Bilingual poll workers are needed to ensure Spanish-speaking voters are able to exercise their rights to vote with a language barrier.

A federal court order requires supervisors of elections to provide election material in Spanish, which includes ballots and translation assistance at the polls, starting with the March 17, 2020, presidential preference primary election.

The bilingual voters would help work designated precincts for the following 2020 elections:

  • March 17 presidential preference primary
  • August 18 primary
  • November 3 general election
  • During early voting, prior to each election

To be a poll worker, one must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen and registered to vote (or pre-registered) in Sarasota County
  • Be able to read and speak the English language
  • Complete a minimum of three to four hours of training before each election
  • Have transportation to and from the training classes and polling places
  • Be willing to work a minimum of 14 hours on election day (beginning at 6 a.m. to help to set up the polling place for voting and helping to close the polling location after the polls have closed and all voters have voted)

If you are bilingual and interested in learning more about working at the polls for the 2020 elections, please attend one of the following orientation sessions scheduled for September 2019:

  • Sept 10, 6 p.m. – Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota
  • Sept 11, 1 p.m. – William H. Jervey Library, 300 Nokomis Ave. S., Venice
  • Sept 18, 6 p.m. – Shannon Staub Library, 4675 Career Lane, North Port
  • Sept 19, 1 p.m. – Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota

For more information, visit Sarasota’s Supervisor of Elections website.