Poll Worker Training Resources
The Department of Elections extends a big thank you to each and every poll worker serving in the November 3, 2020, election! Without the assistance of civic-minded people such as yourself, we could not complete our mission to administer free, fair and functional elections in San Francisco!
We encourage you to review all the resources available on this page to ensure you feel confident in your ability to perform your responsibilities on Election Day. If you have questions, please contact us at (415) 554-4395.
Online Training Program
In light of recent events, the Department will provide an online program, through which poll workers can safely acquire necessary knowledge from home.
To accommodate poll workers who may not have computer or internet access, we will designate days when poll workers may complete training at the Department’s Office in City Hall. Please call us at (415) 554-4395 to schedule a time to complete this training in City Hall.
The mandatory online training will cover 1) the rights of voters and language and accessibility resources, 2) proper setup and operation of voting equipment, 3) processing of voters, including standard, vote-by-mail, and provisional voters, 4) custody procedures for voted ballots and other election materials, 5) new health and safety procedures, and other essential topics.
You will have access to the online training, as well as the optional bilingual assessment beginning October 1, 2020, by logging into your Poll Worker Profile.
In addition to online training, those who believe they would benefit from voting equipment practice will have the opportunity to attend small group hands-on training sessions at City Hall in October.
Training Manual
The Poll Worker Training Manual for the November 3, 2020, Election will be available in mid-September
The Manual is designed to help you fulfill your mission, to efficiently carry out your duties, and to provide excellent service to voters. We encourage you to review the Manual more than once.
Training Videos
We encourage all poll workers to review all of the following videos as a supplement to their training.
Opening Videos
- How to set up the ballot-marking device
- How to initialize the ballot-marking device
- How to open the polls on the ballot-scanning machine
Voting Videos
- How to help a voter drop off a vote-by-mail ballot
- How to check in/process a standard voter
- How to check in/process a provisional voter
- How to help a voter scan a standard ballot
- How to help a voter with a scanning error
- How to help a voter use the ballot-marking device
Closing videos
Newsletters
Poll Worker Newsletters are developed to help us stay connected with our poll workers throughout the year. These newsletters pave the way to share updates, highlight new election laws, and more.
- Summer 2020 - Thank You (PDF)
- Summer 2018 - Thank You (PDF)
- Spring 2018 – Spring has Sprung (PDF)
- Fall 2017– Welcome Fall! (PDF)
- Summer 2017 – Summer Ready! (PDF)
- Spring 2017 – Hello Spring! (PDF)
- Winter 2016 – Thank You! (PDF)
- Fall 2016 – Mark your calendar (PDF)
- Summer 2016 – Thank You! (PDF)
- Spring 2016 – Greetings (PDF)
- Winter 2015 – Poll Worker Stats (PDF)
Feedback
Your dedication makes Election Day possible for San Francisco voters and your feedback is very important to us.
To submit feedback about serving as an Inspector, please click here (available in November).
To submit feedback about serving as a Clerk, please click here (available in November).
