GOP Makes Push for Poll Workers in Nashville

Of the 1,500 poll workers in Davidson County, Republicans are outnumbered four-to-one by Democrats. Now GOP members of the Election Commission are making a recruiting push.

With the shift to a Republican majority in the state legislature, this year the party also became the majority on 5-member election commissions across the state. In Nashville, that new member is Steve Abernathy. The long-time precinct captain says it’s time to even out the party affiliation of poll workers.

“What I’ve been told is that it’s difficult to get Republicans to work some of the poll offices, which I don’t know if that’s true or false. All I know is there needs to be a concentrated effort to improve that balance.”

Abernathy says balance helps maintain the fairness and integrity of elections. He says he’ll recruit GOP poll workers through his speaking engagements in the coming months.

Election Administrator Ray Barrett says it’s difficult to find poll workers of any party affiliation because they’re asked to work a 16-hour day for one-hundred dollars. But he says there’s always an attempt to balance each precinct. The Election Commission also has a policy of sending both a Democrat and Republican from the 172 precincts to deliver results.

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