JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – With the November election right around the corner, the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office is asking for help because there is a need for poll workers.

Secretary of State Michael Watson (R-Miss.) said his office has been actively recruiting poll workers. He said they’re paying a maximum of $200 on election day, depending on the county.

“It goes back to 2020 when we saw COVID, and a lot of our poll workers, it’s no secret, are more seasoned individuals, and they were concerned about COVID. So, they didn’t want to come out and be exposed to COVID. And so, they’re kind of drove the numbers down a little bit,” said Watson.

“While it is, you know, really ideal to have four to five people there, what is more ideal is to have a good quality of poll monitors, folks who know the folks who know the election law. Folks who know what the voting rights of citizens are to help them cast their ballot on Election Day and to make sure that the voters have everything they need when they come into the precinct to cast their vote. So, it’s very important that poll monitors are trained adequately,” said Arekia S. Bennett-Scott, executive director for Mississippi Votes.

Watson encouraged Mississippians to consider volunteering for the civic duty, because it takes everyone to ensure free and fair elections in the state.

“I don’t think that we have a severe issue here in Mississippi. I do think it’s kind of scattered around. There are some parts that are worse than others. As you know, you probably see we talk about our 82 county tour, some counties are great, and some counties say, ‘Look, we’re struggling to get more workers.’ So, it’s something we want to address at the statewide level,” he said.

Registered voters, who are interested in becoming poll workers, can contact their election commissioners’ office to sign up for a voter training day.