Los Angeles County elections officials are recruiting bilingual residents to staff vote centers for the Nov. 3 general election, part of an effort to help people cast ballots in their preferred language.
The county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk said it is seeking community members who speak English and one of 15 high-need languages: Japanese, Korean, Khmer, Chinese, Tagalog, Thai, Armenian, Farsi, Vietnamese, Russian, Gujarati, Urdu, Hindi, Lao and Mongolian.
Election workers help open and operate vote centers, welcome and check in voters, provide information and assistance, and support people throughout the voting process. As frontline representatives of the registrar's office, they also help ensure the centers run smoothly and efficiently, officials said.
The office said bilingual workers are especially valuable in a county as large and varied as Los Angeles, where a voter's first question about how to cast a ballot may come more easily in a language other than English. Those workers help voters navigate in-person voting, answer questions about the process and ensure language assistance is available throughout the experience.
"Election workers are essential to delivering an accessible voting experience across L.A. County," Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said. "We encourage bilingual community members to join our team to serve their community in a meaningful way, assist voters in their preferred language, and help every voter participate in the democratic process with confidence."
Workers can earn up to $1,080 during the election period. Those who speak, read and write in one of the county's supported languages can receive an additional stipend.
To serve, applicants must be at least 18 years old, unless they are taking part in the county's Student Election Worker Program. They also must be U.S. citizens registered to vote in California, or legal permanent residents.
All election workers receive training before serving at a vote center. The training prepares them to use voting equipment and systems, follow election procedures, assist voters and respond to common situations that arise at the centers, the office said. Officials said the goal is to ensure workers provide consistent, accurate and professional service throughout the voting period.
Vote centers will operate at hundreds of locations across the county beginning Oct. 24 and continuing through Election Day. Voters can visit any participating center to vote in person or return a completed mail ballot. The centers include features intended to make voting safe, easy and convenient, the office said.
The registrar's office also identified communities where recruiting multilingual workers is especially important, including Brentwood, Culver City, Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Panorama City, Pasadena, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Torrance and Woodland Hills.
Beyond the 15 highest-need languages, the office said it is accepting applications from speakers of additional languages, including Spanish, Nepali, Burmese, Punjabi, Bengali, Hmong, Indonesian and Telugu.
Staffing vote centers with trained workers, including those who can assist voters in languages other than English, is an important part of providing accessible and responsive service to the county's voters, officials said.
Residents interested in serving can apply and learn more at lavote.gov.