Prince George, B.C. – If you’re free on May 9, General Voting Day, Elections BC would like to hear from you.

B.C.’s non-partisan office of the B.C. legislature is looking to hire around 23,000 people to man the polls that day.

Adia Kapoor, manager of human resources and development services with Elections B.C., says around 500 of those hires will be made at the offices in the Prince George-Valemount and Prince George-Mackenzie ridings.

She says they won’t be making public the addresses of both offices public until April 10 when both are scheduled to open – but says both will be in Prince George.

Kapoor says it’s also the date hiring will begin.

“When the offices open to the public. And right now, people who are interested as election workers can go onto our website (click here) and express their interest. They will then receive an email from Elections B.C. April 10 with the contact information for the offices and the office location.”

So, what kinds of jobs are available?

“Most of the positions are for working the one day on General Voting Day – May 9,” says Kapoor. “And they would be working at the voting places, giving people ballots, registering voters and making sure that they have an opportunity to vote. But there are some positions that will be required for the few days of advanced voting as well.”

She adds most positions pay $250 for the day plus a little extra for taking part in a three-hour training session as well as a one hour of online training.

Kapoor says those that are hired can expect a long day starting at 7 a.m. and stretching on through well into the evening.

She says you must be 15-years-old are older to qualify and says the necessary skill requirements include basic customer service, administrative and math skills, and the ability to be impartial and non-partisan.

Kapoor says the benefits of the work are two-fold.

“I think for most people the opportunity to contribute to democracy is a huge draw. Elections don’t happen very often and it’s a really neat opportunity to see the process from the other side of the table,” she says. “And for a lot of people, especially young people, it’s a great way to earn wages. We pay reasonably well, so if you need some extra income, it’s a great way to earn that.”

Kapoor encourages people to fill out their online applications as soon as possible.

“We keep hiring until all the positions are filled but this election we have a feeling there will be more applications than positions available just based on the interest we’ve had so far.”