Poll workers — Sebastian, Florida

Poll workers at Sebastian polling places are recruited, trained and paid by the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections, whose office at 4375 43rd Avenue in Vero Beach calls them Election Workers.

The City of Sebastian does not staff its own polls. The county elections office describes Election Workers as civic-minded registered voters who are paid to work at Election Day polling places and Early Voting sites, trained in voting procedures, equipment operation and customer service (Indian River County Supervisor of Elections). Leslie Rossway Swan is the Supervisor of Elections (Supervisor of Elections).

State law sets the frame. Under Florida Statutes 102.012, the supervisor appoints an election board of poll workers, serving as clerks or inspectors, for each precinct at least 20 days before an election, and each member takes an oath to perform the duties according to law (s. 102.012). The same section lets the supervisor appoint one election board for collocated precincts, an option available in Sebastian, where precincts 4, 9 and 36 all vote at the North County Public Library (precinct directory).

Last verified: October 11, 2026, on the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections website, election worker pages.

Only Indian River County registered voters can work as election workers, so a Sebastian resident must be registered in the county before applying.

The county FAQ answers the residency question directly: a voter registered in another county cannot be an Election Worker in Indian River County (Election Worker FAQs). Florida Statutes 102.012 adds that each election board member shall be able to read and write the English language and be a registered qualified elector of the county, or a person who has preregistered to vote in that county (s. 102.012).

Two further limits apply. No election board may be made up solely of members of one political party, outside a primary with candidates from only one party, and anyone whose name appears as an opposed candidate for any office cannot serve on an election board (s. 102.012). The Indian River County office also states that it participates in E-Verify, so a new worker completes a Form I-9 after accepting the position (Supervisor of Elections).

A Sebastian resident becomes an election worker by calling the Indian River County elections office at (772) 226-4700, attending an orientation class and joining the list of potential workers.

For Sebastian applicants, the county lists calling the Elections office at (772) 226-4700 as the first step (Election Workers). Orientation explains what the work entails, and afterward the applicant is added to the list of potential workers, to be contacted when there is availability for an upcoming election. The office at 4375 43rd Avenue keeps hours of 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday (Supervisor of Elections).

Placement is not automatic. Workers are notified by the Elections Office of their position, training schedule and assigned polling location, and the office will try to assign each worker to the home precinct but places workers according to county needs (FAQs). For a Sebastian Highlands resident, that could mean the polling place down the street or a site elsewhere in Indian River County. Family members may work at the same polling location.

Once a person has worked an Indian River County election, the FAQ states, that person is an Active Election Worker and does not need to reapply each year, but must still complete all required training and exams before every election. A worker who sits out an election is not guaranteed the same position next time (FAQs).

Indian River County election workers fill seven roles, from the Clerk who runs a Sebastian polling place to the Supply Runner who delivers supplies for Monday set-up and the opening of the polls on election morning.

The Clerk carries the most responsibility, managing a roster of Election Workers and returning required items to the Elections Office on Election Night (Election Workers). Florida law backs this up: the clerk is in charge of, and responsible for, seeing that the election board carries out its duties (s. 102.012). At the Sebastian Community Center on North Central Avenue, which serves precincts 5 and 6, or the Sebastian Christian Church on Day Drive, which serves 10 and 11, the supervisor may appoint one election board for both collocated precincts (precinct directory).

Sebastian election workers typically arrive by 6:00 AM and leave around 8:00 PM on Election Day, an hour on each side of the 7 am to 7 pm voting hours.

The Sebastian workday comes from the Indian River County FAQ (FAQs); the polls themselves are open from 7 am to 7 pm, local time (Election Day Voting). Workers must remain at the assigned location for the whole day, with no trips home for lunch or errands, and are advised to bring the food they need. The office encourages workers to vote early or by mail; one assigned to the home precinct may vote there on Election Day.

Early voting adds a second schedule. For the November 3, 2026 general election, Sebastian City Hall Council Chambers at 1225 Main Street is one of the county early voting locations, open October 19th through October 31st from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, with extended hours to 6:00 pm on Thursdays (Early Voting Information). Workers assigned there perform duties similar to those on Election Day (Election Workers).

Indian River County election workers are paid a stipend for training and for working early voting or Election Day, and must complete the training required by Florida Statutes 102.014 and pass exams before every election.

The county states that Election Workers receive a stipend for attending training, though not orientation, and for working during early voting or on Election Day (Election Workers). Its election worker pages do not post the stipend amount, so Sebastian applicants learn the rate from the office. State law requires the payment: each inspector and each clerk shall be paid for his or her services by the supervisor of elections, and may also be compensated for attending required training (s. 102.021).

Training is set by statute. The supervisor must train inspectors, clerks and deputy sheriffs before each primary, general and special election using a statewide uniform curriculum developed by the Division of Elections, and no clerk may work the polls without at least 3 hours of training before each election, nor any inspector without at least 2 hours (s. 102.014). In Indian River County, workers must pass all exams and hands-on Lab training (FAQs).

Poll workers are distinct from poll watchers, who are designated by parties, candidates or political committees, may not interact with voters and direct questions to the clerk (s. 101.131). For the November 3, 2026 election, Indian River County set noon October 20, 2026 as the deadline for Election Day poll watcher designations (Become a Poll Watcher), a separate process from election worker sign-up in Sebastian.