Poll workers in Mississippi’s largest county say they haven’t been paid a month after elections

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Poll workers in Mississippi’s most populous county say they still haven’t been paid more than a month after the state’s primary elections.

In public comments to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors Monday, poll manager Sheila Davis said election workers hadn’t been compensated for long hours worked during the Aug. 8 primary and Aug. 28 runoff elections. The workers will refuse to return for the Nov. 7 general election if they don’t get paid, she said.

“If you didn’t get your pay, how would you feel?” Davis asked. “If the people don’t get paid, you will probably have to come to the poll and work.”

Davis is among 1,000 poll managers in the county who haven’t been compensated after working 14-hour days for the primary and runoff elections, WAPT-TV reported. The city of Jackson, Mississippi, the state capital, is located in the county.

Election commissioners said they had trouble coordinating with Democratic and Republican party officials, which has resulted in delays.

Looking ahead to the general election, the commissioners wanted to rent space at a local church to train poll managers. The church asked to be paid upfront because it said it was concerned Hinds County wouldn’t hold up its end of the bargain, the news station reported.