Elections System: Working On Getting Checks To Unpaid Poll Workers

Some poll workers have yet to receive payment for the hours they put in during the November 18 run-off election, VI Consortium has learned. However, a Virgin Islands Elections System official on St. Croix told VI Consortium Tuesday that the office has been working to get checks to the approximately 200 poll workers, and has already issued payment to more than 100.

The VI Consortium received anonymous tips from members of the public citing the stalled payments, with one man stating in a telephone interview, “We have never taken so long to be paid before, why is it happening now?”

According to the elections official, the delay stems from a three-part process that involves approvals from the Elections System, Property and Procurement, and the Department of Finance. The new procedure has been implemented, the official said, in order for poll workers, who are paid a stipend, to retain more money in their paychecks.

“The process we took them through was a multi-step process that requires Property and Procurement and then go Finance to ensure that they actually receive a stipend payment, not that they go through the regular Personnel system, [and get] taxed heavily–where Social Security is taken out and federal tax is taken out–and they receive half or less than half [of their pay],” the official said under condition of anonymity. “We can’t get your invoice and process it right away.”

The poll worker–who said he has been paid for working the general election, but is awaiting payment for the run-off–has reached out a number of times to the elections office, which, in turn, referred him to payroll workers at the Dept. of Finance, and vice versa. He said he has worked as a monitor at polling sites for the last six elections, helping to set up voting machines, as well as provide assistance to election judges and voters, when necessary.

Further expressing his frustrations, the man said that in the event there had been an issue with payments being held up, he would have preferred for elections officials to make that known publicly.

“Maybe the system was down and it was being worked on or someone was out sick and stuff wasn’t being processed, put an ad in the paper and let everybody know stuff will be coming to [them] shortly,” he said, adding, “Say something…don’t have people work and just have them waiting there to collect a check.”

However, the elections official said poll workers were informed of the new payment process prior to starting the job.

“They were aware of that from the inception at training,” the official said.

According to the official, the Elections System recently received funds to pay those who worked the run-off election and general election workers should have already received payment by now.

“At the end of the year, the [former] governor approved our run-off money. So, we have that now, and it’s actually time for the Office of Management and Budget to issue the money into our account,” the official. “As far as I know, we should be finishing up very soon.”

When asked how soon poll workers could expect to receive their pay, the official added, “I would say within a couple of weeks,” adding that the handful of talliers who assisted with the recount of ballots for three general election candidates would also be paid from the recently approved funds.

“The talliers will be the final group of people to be processed because the recount lasted up until the second week of December,” the official said.

As for the lengthy process, the official again stressed that it’s being done with the best interests of the workers in mind.

“We’ve done our best in trying to get them the most money for the work they do, and that required a new way of doing it,” the official said. “Imagine you work the poll and you were supposed to get a hundred dollars and you end up with twenty bucks. It sorts of put a damper on working [for us] again.”

“When money is not in our account, we cannot pay out, so we’re depending on Finance and the OMB offices to put the money into the categories. So, even if the elections ended, it did not mean that we had all of our funds in our account.”

The elections official encouraged poll workers who are still awaiting paychecks to call the Elections System office on St. Croix at (340) 773-1021, should they have further questions.

“Please come to us so we can see where you are in the process,” the official concluded.