State of Maryland

An Election Program Assistant I performs specialized data processing, technical, administrative, or clerical services in a local election office.  Employees in this classification learn election laws, regulations, policies and procedures to perform entry-level duties in election office programs such as: voter registration, polling places, election equipment, election judges, absentee, voter outreach, administrative, and/or technology. Employees in this classification perform technical and administrative functions working in an election program, not involving policy decisions, but requiring a thorough knowledge of the specific functions performed.  Employees in this classification perform a variety of complex and non-complex duties related to one or several programs that require a thorough knowledge of election laws, rules, policy, and procedures.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions but may provide some training to other support staff.

Employees in this classification receive direct supervision from an Election Director, Election Deputy Director or other designated administrative staff and are expected to exercise considerable tact, discretion and judgment in all areas of work. Matters of confidentiality are given close attention by the supervisor. The work may require travel to schools, nursing homes or other facilities to perform the tasks related to their program(s).  Employees may be required to work evenings and weekends, particularly prior to and following an election.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Election Program Assistant I is differentiated from the Election Program Assistant II in that the Election Program Assistant II learns to perform duties under moderate supervision.  Election Program Assistant II may lead other support staff in an election office program or performs advanced level duties under general supervision.

Performs data entry and quality checks into the Statewide Voter Registration System;

Prioritizes work to assure timely completion of data processing tasks in accordance with office policies and procedures;

Responds to customer requests and generates reports from the Statewide Voter Registration System;

Identifies and reports discrepancies and program issues;

Compiles and maintains statistics;

Registers voters and responds to voter registration inquiries;

May recruit election judges to staff polling places;

May assist in organizing and instructing required training sessions following established policies and procedures;

May assist with voting equipment maintenance, inventory and preparation;

May assist with identifying polling place facilities to comply with election laws, regulations, policies and procedures;

May maintain important or confidential records, including office records of employees’ work schedules, expense accounts and office supplies;

May assist with the purchase and inventory of supplies;

May accept and process candidate and committee filings;

May perform the full range of specialized clerical or clerical work in a local election office;

May assist in redistricting;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of State and federal election law, regulations and policies and procedures;

Knowledge of State primary and general election procedures for federal, State and municipal elections;

Knowledge of election office policies and procedures;

Skill in word processing, personal computer and other office equipment and related software applications;

Skill in maintaining accurate and detailed records;

Ability to remain organized while performing multiple functions or tasks;

Ability to maintain workflow despite frequent interruptions and changing priorities;

Ability to communicate effectively and tactfully and maintain confidentiality;

Ability to use independent judgment in applying and explaining election laws, rules and procedures;

Ability to meet time sensitive deadlines and demands.

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: One year of experience applying election laws, rules and procedures in a local board of election office.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute one year of specialized clerical, data processing, technical or administrative experience for each six months of the required experience applying election laws, rules and procedures in a local election office.  Specialized clerical, data processing, technical or administrative experience is defined as work in an office which requires reviewing, verifying and interpreting information in order to make determinations and resolve work problems in accordance with policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures.

2. Candidates may substitute two years of general clerical, data processing, technical or administrative experience for each six months of the required experience applying election laws, rules and procedures in a local election office. General clerical, data processing, technical or administrative experience is defined as work performing a variety of duties which are clear-cut and typically found in office settings, such as filing, copying, inputting data, general computer skills, and directing telephone calls.

3. Candidates may substitute thirty credit hours from an accredited college or university for the required experience.

1. Employees in this classification are required to be registered voters in the State of Maryland in accordance with the Election Law Article, Section 2-207(d), Annotated Code of Maryland.

2. Employees in this classification may not hold or be a candidate for any elective public or political party office or any other office created under the Constitution or laws of this State in accordance with the Election Law Article, Section 2-301(b).

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime, as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series. NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.