About the Department of Elections  

The mission of the Department of Elections (Department) is to provide equitable access to voting and election-related services and to conduct free, fair, and functional elections for the City and County of San Francisco. Department staff work year-round to ensure that every eligible San Franciscan has easy access to safe, barrier-free registration and voting options. The Department also works continuously to improve its elections programs with the goal of making them ever more efficient and responsive to the needs of San Francisco voters.

The Department strives to cultivate a workplace environment in which employees of all racial and ethnic backgrounds feel respected, valued, and supported in providing the fairest and most effective services possible to San Francisco residents. The Department is committed to maintaining an inclusive workplace and to providing the training and resources necessary for all employees to succeed in delivering equitable services to city residents. (To learn more about our internal racial equity goals, please read the Department’s 2021-23 Racial Equity Action Plan.)

In preparation for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election, the Department is seeking applications for Poll Locators in the Election Day Support Division, Polling Places section, which administers the programs associated with identifying and supporting polling places. These positions work in the Polling Places section of the Election Day Support Division and report to the Precinct and Polling Place Services Manager. 

These positions serve as official representatives of the Department in the community and are expected to fulfill this role accordingly.

The position has a tentative start date of November 6, 2023 and tentative end date of March 15, 2024. Successful employees may be offered the opportunity to return to temporary exempt position in support of future Elections.

This is a temporary exempt as-needed position. Temporary exempt as-needed employees who have worked more than 1040 hours in any consecutive 12-month period, and whose normal work week at the time of inclusion in the system is not less than 20 hours are eligible for health coverage and retirement benefits. For more information on the City and County of San Francisco benefit policies, refer to the Employee Handbook available at https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Employee-Handbook.pdf

The Poll Locators’ primary task is to assist in identifying physical sites within the city such as homes, and other public spaces like schools, libraries, firehouses, and community centers and recruiting them to serve as polling places on Election Day. Responsibilities of Poll Locators include surveying facilities to ensure polling places meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and other applicable laws; working with site managers or owners to deliver equipment, take pictures, and facilitate use of sites; administering the delivery and retrieval of polling place equipment before and after Election Day; as well as assisting on Election Day with any troubleshooting issues that arise.

The ideal candidate must have strong work ethic and a high level of integrity. This position requires someone with interpersonal skills and demonstrated abilities to learn new subject matter in a short period of time. In addition to the range of duties assigned to the 1404 job code, https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=1404&setId=COMMN, the person in this position will have the following essential duties and responsibilities:

• Operating a city-provided vehicle such as a sedan or cargo van and traveling within the City and County of San Francisco to locate potential polling places or deliver and retrieve equipment.
• Interacting with members of the public and recruiting them to open their homes or businesses to voters on Election Day.
• Interacting with voters on Election Day as an official representative of the Department of Elections
• Utilizing Election Database software and other online databases to research sites that can potentially serve as polling places and visiting the site with the goal of persuading owners/operators to volunteer their site.
• Using tablet computers and smart phones, and surveying materials such as tape measures and levels to conduct surveys of polling places to ensure they meet accessibility requirements.
• Managing Polling Place data in accordance with established procedures.
• Filing, maintaining and retrieving documents, records and correspondence in accordance with established procedures.
• Maintaining daily communication with polling place owners using telephone and e-mail communication.
• Checking and reviewing a variety of documents for completeness and accuracy.
• Disseminating information and answer inquiries by communicating with the public, departmental personnel and other departments.
• Operating office equipment, including calculators, photocopying equipment, adding machines, computer terminals, and fax machines.
• Processing mail: open, sort and distribute the incoming mail; stuff and seal envelopes; make daily pickup and delivery to ensure timely mailing and receipt of mail.

Position Schedule, Requirements, and Work Location

Work hours are generally 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, although staff must be available to work weekend hours when necessary and be willing to take Monday or Tuesday off as opposed to Saturday and Sunday. In addition, due to overtime requirements, staff must be available to work 50-60 hours a week during busy periods and up to 16 hours on Election Day. Travel within the city will be required, as will a driver’s license and clean driving record, although vehicles will be provided. Work location will generally be at City Hall but may also vary within the San Francisco area and at the Department’s warehouse at Pier 31. Position will require standing and walking outdoors for a prolonged period of time, driving to various sites, setting up and using various computer database software, and sometimes lifting and moving objects up to 50 pounds.

Position Salary: $28.925 to $35.15 hourly

$60,164 to $73,112 annually

Minimum Qualifications

One (1) year of clerical experience including preparing and maintaining a variety of records and/or documents, filing, use of office equipment, public contact and processing of incoming and outgoing mail.

Substitution:  Completion of an approved City and County of San Francisco Clerical Administrative Training program, or completion of a clerical training program (240 hours), or 15 semester units (or equivalent quarter units) of coursework from an accredited college or university may substitute for up to 6 months of required experience.

Desired Qualifications

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists for hiring.

• Valid California driver’s license and clean DMV record
• Basic understanding of San Francisco geography and neighborhoods
• Ability to spend considerable time outdoors in a variety of weather
• Ability to work quickly and accurately to complete tasks
• Great interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Bilingual skills in Chinese or Spanish  
• Have a strong team work ethic and can-do/will-do attitude, and solid interpersonal and conflict resolution skills
• Commitment to excellent public service and impartiality  

The Department is committed to reaching job seekers from underrepresented communities. Applicants with such backgrounds are therefore strongly encouraged to apply. 

In addition to submitting an application, please submit a current, detailed resume and cover letter which describes how you meet the minimum and desirable qualifications to [email protected]. Documents must be received by 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 13, 2023.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Elections Hiring Team at [email protected].

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Carol Isen - Human Resources Director

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.