Those helping to count absentee ballots will be paid a per diem rate rather than an hourly rate as approved by the Marshall County Commissioners Monday morning.
The recommendation came from the Marshall County Election Board after they voted to recommend a per diem rate of $145 for the absentee counters. Clerk Deb VanDeMark said extra people were needed for the Primary Election because of the unique situation with the election and COVID-19, and at the time it was decided to pay them by the hour. VanDeMark told the commissioners Monday morning that the council agreed to pay them an hourly wage for the Primary Election, but a different recommendation was made by the Marshall County Election Board for the November Election.
“In this conversation with the Election Board, an amount was suggested of $145 per day for those individuals that are coming into the office and helping with those ballots. In the Primary, we paid them $12.85 an hour. If you take even $12 times a 12hour day you’re at $144 so I don’t think it’s an out of line amount, but it is set by the commissioners,” stated VanDeMark.
VanDeMark said it will take quite some time to get through the absentee ballot process on Election Day as more than 2,500 absentee ballots have been mailed out.
“Each ballot will need to be opened, pulled out of the envelope, sorted with a Democrat and Republican, and then they’ll all need to go through the card reader.
She hopes that those results will be available by the time the polls close, but she will not know for sure until the process starts. She noted that it took all day for the Primary Election absentee ballots to be counted and there were not as nearly as many absentee ballots submitted as in the General Election.
The commissioners unanimously approved the Election Board’s recommendation to pay the absentee counters a per diem pay of $145 for Election Day.
