A supervisor of elections is the person who oversees the electoral process
in the county or state.
These election officials work to ensure that fair elections take place.
They are responsible for maintaining voter registration rolls, conducting
county, state, and national elections and supervising absentee voting. They
are also the people called upon to make decisions about the legal workings
of the electoral process.
Although elections are not held every day, election officials have plenty
of work to keep them occupied. When there are no elections happening, there
is voter education, campaign finance reports and poll worker recruitment and
training that must be done regularly.
In the U.S., if there is a bill that is related to the electoral process
being reviewed and voted upon by Congress, election officials are usually
involved. They provide opinions about the impact of the bill. They also lobby
for the passing of a bill.
Supervisors of elections are elected. Election officials are required to
be non-partisan. That means that they may not be affiliated with any political
party involved in the elections.
Because election officials work during normal business hours, their typical
day is from 9 to 5. However, during elections, those hours may be extended.
In some cases, officials might work 16- or 18-hour days. There are also occasions
where an election official is asked to speak publicly during the evening hours.
Most of the work that an election official must do is done in an office.
There are no physical requirements for this job. However, those with hearing
or sight disabilities may require special equipment or staff members to help
them communicate more effectively.