The City of La Crosse encourages all citizens to vote and to become involved in the election process.  Citizen involvement is essential to conduct open, accurate and fair elections in Wisconsin.  One of the most rewarding ways to become involved in the election process is to become an Election Official.  

Election officials must reside in the county they serve, must take an Oath of Office, and are required to be trained by the municipal clerk prior to working any election.

Election Inspectors set up the polling place and help with Election Day duties such as registering voters, poll book management, issuing ballots, monitoring election equipment, processing absentee ballots and closing the polls.  

Chief Election Inspectors serve as the lead election official at a polling place.  There must be at least one certified Chief Election Inspector present at each polling location on election day.  To become a Chief Election Inspector, you must have a thorough understanding of election day duties and must complete additional baseline training which is about a two hour commitment.  Chief Election Inspectors must be residents of the City of La Crosse.

Greeters are generally located just inside the polling place entrance to greet voters and ensure they are at the correct polling place.  They assist with line management and direct voters as needed.

Election Registration Officials (EROs) assist with registering voters on on Election Day.

Compensation.  
Election Inspector pay is $11.00/hour for time spent training and for service on Election Day.  Chief Election Inspector pay is $15.00/hour.  Greeters and Election Registration Officials are volunteer positions.

Individuals serving as election inspectors may chose to decline compensation and volunteer volunteer their time.

Time Commitment.  

Election officials are appointed for two-year terms (January of even years through December of odd years).

Election Inspectors work the full day on Election Day from 6:00 a.m. until the polls are closed and all duties are complete (approx. 9:00 p.m. or later, depending on the election).  Breaks are scheduled by the Chief Inspector. 

Working a partial shift (6a - 2p or 2p - close) is allowed if the full day is too much but preference is generally given to those who are able to work a full day.  If you are not appointed to a specific district, you may be appointed as an alternate inspector and called to work when there is a vacancy or as needed. 

Training.
Training is provided by the City Clerk before each election and is mandatory for new election officials or as directed. 

Training is generally offered in a virtual or recorded format (with handouts available).  At times, in-person training may also be available.  Initial training, which is required at the start of each election term and for any newly appointed election official, is a comprehensive training that lasts about two hours.  Refresher training sessions are provided before each election which cover important information such as election law changes, new processes, or to highlight specific duties.  Refresher sessions generally run an hour or less. 

Chief inspectors must receive six hours of continuing education training during each two-year election term to remain certified and often have additional training sessions conducted by the City Clerk.

Qualifications.

You must:

• be a qualified elector of the County - a U.S. citizen, 18 years of ago or older, residing in La Crosse County for at least 28 days and not otherwise disqualified from voting
• be able to speak, read, and write the English language
• abide by state and federal election laws and perform duties in a non-partisan manner
• work well with others and treat all people with respect
• pay close attention to detail and have the ability to perform each task at the polling place
• must be willing to work a long day as a service to your community
• NOT be a candidate for any office to be voted on at the polling place at that election

Can I be Excused from my Regular Job to be an Election Inspector?

Wisconsin law requires every employer to grant an unpaid leave of absence to each employee who is appointed to serve as an election inspector, if the employee who serves as an election inspector provides his or her employer with at least seven (7) day notice. The leave is for the entire 24-hour period of each election day in which the employee serves in his or her official capacity as an election inspector. Upon request of any employer, municipal clerks must verify appointments.

Interested in becoming an Election Official?

Complete the Election Official Interest Form and return it to the City Clerk's Office.  Forms can be mailed, emailed or dropped off at City Hall (you can also use the green drop box on north side of City Hall).

La Crosse City Clerk
400 La Crosse Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
elections@cityoflacrosse.org

If you are having trouble filling out a form, you may need to download the form to your computer before you fill it out and email it. To do this, you will need to right click on the link below and select 'Save Link as...', then choose the location on your computer where you would like it saved. Close or minimize your web browser and open the document from the location where it was saved.

Additional Information on Becoming a Pollworker.

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