The Arlington Electoral Board on May 20 appointed 17 new prospective officers of election, who may be called up to work at precincts over the coming year.
Arlington has about 2,100 election officers approved for duties in its 54 precincts, and will need about 850 of them for November’s presidential election, Electoral Board members said.
At the May 20 meeting, the three-member Electoral Board discussed the outlines of new policies for appointment of election officers, which if approved could come into play for the general election.
The goal, said Electoral Board vice chairman Dominick Schirripa, is to bring the office’s policies and procedures in line with state law, which requires that local Democratic and Republican committees vet aspiring election officers during the appointment process.
State law shows a preference for the appointment of party-approved individuals during elections, but does allow for those who sign up to designate themselves as politically unaffiliated. The vast majority of current officers of election are unaffiliated, in part because neither the Democratic nor Republican committees in Arlington have until recently submitted lists of approved applicants to election officials.
