Other ethnicities tend to be concentrated in well-defined communities, such as Chinatown, Koreatown and Little Tokyo.
Poll workers get a small stipend of $50 to $150 for setting up polling booths, presiding over the sign-in table and collecting ballots. Some see it as a chance to meet their neighbors, serve the community and participate in democracy.
"They're the glue of the election process," McCormack said.
The cost of providing written translations and bilingual poll workers can be significant, officials said.
For the November 2004 general election in Los Angeles County, it amounted to $2.1 million out of the total cost of $16.3 million.
And it's a long-term need. "We take bilingual volunteers until the last day before the election," said Los Angeles County registrar spokeswoman Marcia Ventura. "If we can't use them this time, there's always the next election."
Times staff writers Jean Pasco, Ashley Powers, Susannah Rosenblatt and Gregory W. Griggs contributed to this report.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Translators at polling places
With the Nov. 8 special election just a week away, voting officials need more multilingual poll workers who speak one of the languages required by federal regulations in areas with many non-English-speaking immigrants.
Bilingual poll workers in five counties
*--* Population* Number of Bilingual Required County (millions) poll workers poll workers languages** Los Angeles 9.8 11,200 2,186 6 Orange 2.9 3,400 601 4 S. Bernardino 1.9 1,555 410 1 Riverside 1.8 1,788 210 1 Ventura 0.8 924 311 1
*--*
*Estimated 2004 population
**In addition to English
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Bilingual poll workers in Los Angeles County
Spanish 62%
Korean 14%
Chinese 11%
Vietnamese 7%
Tagalog 4%
Other 1%
Percentages do not add up to 100 because of rounding.
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For information or to volunteer
Los Angeles County: 562-462-2226; www.lavote.net
Orange County: 714-567-7600; www.ocvote.com
Riverside County: 951-486-7200; www.election.co.riverside.ca.us
San Bernardino County: call 909-387-8300 by Thursday;
www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/rov/general_info/poll_workers.asp
Ventura County: 805-654-3512;
recorder.countyofventura.org/elecidx.htm
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Sources: Los Angeles County registrar-recorder, other counties' elections offices, Census Bureau
