Cass County holds training for election workers

FARGO — With the North Dakota primary election just two weeks away, Cass County is getting workers ready for Election Day and early voting.

Judges, clerks, and inspectors are attending sessions throughout this week to get familiar with the protocols and the gear they will use.

Workers for the coming primary election got the full rundown on everything from checking in voters, to the equipment used, and answering any questions they may have.

Cass County Election Administrator Craig Steingaard says it’s all meant to make sure everyone qualified to vote who wants to can make their voice heard.

“Anybody that’s a qualified elector here in Cass County, we want to make sure they’re able to cast their ballot on Election Day, that’s what we want to make sure of and that’s what the trainings are really for. Making sure that we are checking qualified electors identifications, getting them to judges, getting them the correct ballot, and getting them to cast their ballots,” Steingaard said.

But there’s also a new part of the training this year to help protect workers on election night.

“We actually added in a safety training with our Sheriff’s Department and everything. We thought that it was really important to make sure, because we’ve gotten questions about making sure that we’re safe at polling centers, all of that, that was something we added on in addition so everybody we want them to attend that as well,” Steingaard said.

That safety training is based on lessons the Sheriff’s Department offers to Cass County workers annually.

The overall training is also more interactive than it used to be, with the gear like tabulators and ballot bins used on election day in the room for the workers to get familiar with.

“It’s a really good thing for these people to be a little more hands on, right? It gives them a sense of calm, like, ‘Oh I’ve seen that before, I’ve touched that before in training, now on election day I don’t have to be worried and not know what I’m looking at,’” Steingaard said.

While the North Dakota Century Code requires the county to provide this training, it goes a long way towards keeping things running smoothly.

“It’s a long day. It begins to get chaotic, especially when we get closer to the end when there’s so many people coming into the polls, making sure that they’re prepared, making sure they have the correct information, that will all help us on Election Day to make sure everyone stays calm, cool, collected,” Steingaard said.