Sebastian County election coordinator resigns, other election staff quits

Sebastian County finds itself with an understaffed, and possibly unstaffed, election coordinator office less than 95 days before the start of early voting in Arkansas for the Nov. 5 general election.

Meghan Hassler sent a letter of resignation from her position as election coordinator to Sebastian County Judge Steve Hotz Friday (July 19).

“As previously discussed, my nine years with Sebastian County have been quite the roller coaster and filled with more angst and turmoil than any person should have to deal with in their job,” Hassler wrote in the letter. “Especially one that is an underpaid and undervalued position that I pursued as a service to my community, state and nation while maintaining a significant role in the raising of my children.”

Hassler informed Hotz in the letter that other members of her staff have also resigned. The exact number and names of the staff were not released. Hotz confirmed Tuesday (July 23) that he knows two members of the office have resigned. He said the county was making calls to see if there were others.

According to county records the department has an administrative assistant, a programer, a technical operations director, a trouble shooter, a warehouse worker, a delivery/pickup worker, and poll workers/callers on the payroll. All the positions are part-time and/or temporary positions.

The Sebastian County Quorum Court passed an ordinance June 18 that raises the pay rate of the county’s election coordinator, along with two other county positions in the county, but kept the election coordinator position as a part time position. The salary approved was still the lowest in the state for the position compared to similarly sized-counties. (See more info on the pay issue at the end of this story.)

‘LITTLE INCENTIVE TO COME TO WORK’
In a July 9 email to the Sebastian County election commissioners, Hassler said she had been working full-time hours consistently for at least the last three years. The hours are not compensated for a part-time employee who is exempt from overtime, as the election coordinator’s position was and continues to be with the passing of the June 18 ordinance.

“The current Election Coordinator does not have any full-time or permanent staff. Everyone who works for Elections is ‘Extra-Help,’ which means there is very little incentive to come to work unless you love who you work for and the job you do,” Hassler wrote in the note.

Hassler also only received two pay raises since 2015 prior to the recent increase to the minimum requirement from the U.S. Department of Labor. The first was because of a Department of Labor ruling in 2020 and the second was a 50-cent an hour raise in 2022.

“The Election Coordinator has not been included in county-wide cost of living raises administered almost annually. In fact when the position has been brought to a vote for a COLA increase (numerous times) it was actively voted down time and time again,” Hassler said in the email to commissioners.

When the Quorum Court approved the pay increase in June, members agreed to include the election coordinator position to the list receiving the pay increase because the upcoming November general election will be busy with presidential, congressional, state, county and local races contested, the election office should be kept running smoothly without making drastic changes.

PAY COMPARISONS
Before the raise July 1, the Sebastian County election coordinator position was paid $34 an hour, Hotz said, making it the highest hourly pay for any of the other Class 6 counties in the state, though it was part-time. Class 6 counties are those with 70,000 to 199,999 residents. Class 7 counties have 200,000 residents or more. Sebastian County is the largest Class 6 county in the state with 127,799 residents, according to the 2020 census.

Sebastian County’s hourly rate was slightly lower than Washington County (245,981 residents) and Benton County County (284,333 residents) and $4 below Pulaski County (399,125), Hotz said. However, the hourly rate is a comparison between Hassler’s part-time pay without full benefits, and the other coordinators who are full-time with benefits.

Also, Sebastian County is the only Class 6 or Class 7 county in the state with a part-time election coordinator, Hotz said. Other Class 6 counties range in salaries for the election coordinator (or like positions) from $41,022 in Garland County to $57,381 in Saline County, according to information in a memo to Hassler from Becky Lynch, director of human resources for the county.

In the Class 7 counties, Washington County pays its director of elections $70,802 annually; Benton County pays its election coordinator $72,976 per year; and Pulaski County pays its election coordinator $80,457 per year.

‘DISRESPECT’ AND POOR WORKING CONDITIONS
During her time as election coordinator, Hassler administered 27 unchallenged elections. She also was one of the chosen Advanced Election Coordinators by the State Board of Election Commissioners and was routinely referred to election officials throughout the state to help them with election related issues and to solve problems, Hassler said in the email to election commissioners.

In her resignation letter, Hassler said she did not feel she or her department had been treated fairly or with the value and respect they deserve.

“That was made abundantly evident when no one in the Elections department was awarded any kind of pay increase based on longevity or performance over the nine years I’ve worked here,” Hassler noted.

Hassler wrote that she takes responsibility for staying in the position so long, even though she felt it was underpaid, but she did so because of her excellent team and poll workers.

“My relationships with them are what kept me going as long as I did. I will miss each of them so very much and hope they are not let down by my departure. But at the end of the day, I have to live with and respect myself and I cannot continue on with the disrespect and working conditions we have to endure,” Hassler said.

REQUIREMENTS, DUTIES
According to the most recent copy of “Rules for County Election Coordinator Training,” which is available on the Arkansas.gov website, the county’s board of election commissioners must notify the State Board of Election Commissioners when a vacancy occurs. They have 30 days to fill the vacancy and must certify the person appointed to the State Board of Election Commissioners within 45 days of the vacancy.

That gives the Sebastian County Election Commission until Aug. 19 to have a new election coordinator in place. Hotz said the state has been notified of Hassler’s resignation.

The Sebastian County election coordinator job description states that the coordinator assists the election commission in administering elections in Sebastian County in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and county operating procedures.

The almost 30 duties prescribed to the coordinator also include developing a working knowledge of federal and state election laws, monitors changes and keeps officials and staff informed, assists the programmer in maintaining the current software database of county precincts and vote centers and programming each election in accordance with state election law requirements, trains all poll workers, monitors voting activity through internet software during voting, monitors courthouse activity on election night, completes and files federal election reports as required, maintains election trainer certification, and works with the election commission, county and municipal officials every 10 years to redistrict wards and justice of the peace districts and precincts based on new census data.

RECENT PAY RAISE BACKGROUND
The U.S. Department of Labor issued an update to the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime rule that increases the salary threshold for exempt employees (employees exempt from overtime pay) from $35,568 to $43,888, effective Monday (July 1). Exempt employees, because of their rate of pay and type of  work that they do,  are not eligible for overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a work week.

The county had three positions affected by the rate – the elections coordinator, chief deputy coroner and assistant golf course professional. To remain compliant with the new regulation, these needed to be increased to $43,888 by July 1 or become non-exempt positions.

The Quorum Court approved an ordinance at its June 18 meeting to raise all three positions. The chief deputy coroner salary went from $43,024 to $43,888, a raise of $864. The assistant golf course professional salary went from $42,095 to $43,888, a raise of $1,793. The election coordinator salary went from $36,088 to $43,888, a raise of $7,800.

Hotz had recommended only raising the salaries of the chief deputy coroner and the assistant golf course professional.

“Two of them require a little bit of money to get them up and move forward. The third one is the election coordinator. To bring that up would require a $7,800 raise. So in my memo (on the matter included in the court packet for the meeting), I proposed we not do that and let it become non-exempt, which would mean, we would pay overtime over 20 hours a week. It’s a part time job,” Hotz said at the June 18 meeting.

Because it is a government job, the county can give comp time instead of paying overtime, which Hotz also recommended doing.