VENTURA, Calif. — Sitting at his desk in the Ventura County Hall of Administration basement, Martin Cobos is working far more busily than he expected for this time of year. He was supposed to be on vacation, but the only waterfront view he's getting is the one on his desktop.

"I'm going to Catalina, but it's a little delayed," he said with a small sigh.

Cobos is the operations manager for the Ventura County Elections Division. Not only was an unexpected recall election announced, but it was scheduled for September, which is only a few weeks away. 

"So for us, it's crunch time already," he said.

A recall election requires the same amount of work, research and prep as every other election. There's just less time to get it all done, which is why they need all the help they can get. 

The division is looking to fill 110 temporary elections voting assistant positions. That's a pretty big task, especially because good help is tough to find these days. 

"It's a shared experience," Cobos said. "I haven't been out to a restaurant or to a grocery store that doesn't have a help wanted sign out, and unfortunately, elections is in the same boat."

So they've sweetened the pot by upping the pay rate from around $16 to $21.93 an hour for temporary workers able to help with the Sept. 14 election. These jobs could involve anything from opening and helping process election ballots to data entry or answering phones.

The rate for in-person poll workers at voting centers has also gone up. 

Cobos has never actually worked a recall election, and quite honestly, he has no idea what kind of turnout to expect. 

"We're out of the prediction business as far as turnout is concerned," he laughed. "We learned a long time ago, never predict."

Monica Terrones has been down this road twice. She's worked for the division for more than two decades and said it never gets boring.

"I like my job. It's very interesting," she said. "Each year, I say, I heard it all, but this year I heard new stuff!"

Every day she sits under the words "preserving history, protecting democracy," and she takes them very much to heart.

"We are preserving the democracy to carry it on to the future," she said proudly. "A pure democracy. Not one side. Not the other."

She encourages people to consider working for the division and not just for the money, for the insight.

"Because you learn what goes on behind the scenes, and we do need you, and you as a citizen will be doing a public service," she said.

Learning how the system works is increasingly important, especially when election security and validity are part of the public conversation.

"I've been here for 14 years. We've never seen the amount of folks that are questioning the process," Cobos explained.

He doesn't take the distrust personally, though. He invites anyone with questions or concerns to take a look at the equipment and the process. 

"Get information, vote early, track your ballot, know what's happening and you will rest assured that the elections are safe and secure," he said.

Or even better, apply for a temporary position, one that will give you a front-row seat to democracy in action.

To find out more about the available positions, visit the county's website.