If you've got nothing else planned for General Election day on Thursday June 8, you could make yourself an extra few quid.
Leeds City Council is advertising for poll clerks, presiding officers and counters are all needed on election day - and in parts of the country this work pays up to £360 depending on the job you do, reports the Mirror.
No qualifications are needed to apply, and the amount you earn depends on the job you get and the local authority you're working in.
Kirklees Council doesn't have any vacancies but Leeds has released information about the jobs.
Poll clerk
Who: Almost anyone can apply to be a poll clerk. There are only a few basic requirements; you must be aged over 18, literate and numerate, and on the electoral roll.
Members of political parties participating in the election are excluded from working in polling stations.
You must have training or attend briefing sessions.
If you haven’t worked at a poll station before, the only position you’ll be able to apply for is poll clerk.
What you'll be doing: The hours are long - normally from 6.30am to 10pm – and you won't get to leave the polling station.
You’ll also be expected to work at any polling station within your local authority area, not necessarily the one closest to your home.
Poll clerks set up voting booths, issue ballot papers, verify voters’ identity against the electoral register and make sure their votes are cast in secret.
They’ll need to answer voters’ questions and show people who are unsure how to cast their vote how to complete their form, all whilst maintaining the secrecy and security of the ballot.
What's the pay? Rates vary depending on the local authority. Eastbourne are about £120 a day, the London Borough of Hillingdon pays £240 a day; Hammersmith & Fulham pays poll clerks £245.55. The fees include attendance at mandatory training as well as travel to and from the polling station.
Presiding officer
Who: It's the next step up from poll clerk.
What: In busy polling stations, the presiding officer might have a deputy presiding officer assisting them or a senior presiding officer overseeing their work.
The role involves managing poll clerks and the polling station on election day, assisting voters, completing paperwork and delivering the ballot box to the count venue.
What's the pay? Again, rates vary depending on the local authority. Eastbourne pays £200, the London Borough of Hillingdon pays £340 and senior presiding officers £360, and in Hammersmith & Fulham, deputy presiding officers receive £296.80 and presiding officers £348.05.
Counter
Who: Counters are often current or former council employees, but some local authorities advertise externally for staff.
What: Counters work in teams; first counting the ballot papers to verify the totals match the expected numbers from the ballot paper accounts and, secondly, counting the votes for each candidate.
They do this at the count venue which will see ballot boxes from various polling stations start to arrive from about 9.30pm through the night and into the following day.
Pay: You can normally earn about £190 for a shift as a counter.
Counters and presiding officers both report to returning staff such as the returning officer or acting returning officer.
These roles are honorary ones and likely to be held by senior officers in the local authority such as the mayor or chairman of the local council.
Returning offices have a lot of responsibility and are held personally responsible for mistakes made by the staff they employ.
Where do I apply?
It’s best to apply for election jobs sooner rather than later.
If you’re interested, click here to visit Leeds City Council's website to find out how to apply.
