Election Judges (Poll Workers)
Every election, 12,500 election judges in 2,500 suburban Cook County precincts make sure that polling place operations run smoothly and that elections are carried out fairly, honestly and accurately.
Serving as a gatekeeper of democracy, you are responsible for supervising the conduct inside the polling places and helping voters.
Election judges can receive up to $150 every election.
The information on this website pertains only to election judges working in suburban Cook County.
For information about serving in Chicago, visit www.chicagoelections.com or call (312) 269-7900.
More Information
Responsibilities
Election judges have many responsibilities and perform several tasks on Election Day, including:
- Opening the polling place in the morning and closing it at night
- Setting up election equipment
- Providing assistance to voters
- Signing in voters
- Verifying voter qualifications
- Distributing ballots/activation cards for touch-screen machines
- Operating voting equipment
- Filling out forms
- Processing and transmitting votes at the end of the day
- Certifying vote totals
Eligibility
To be eligible to serve as an election judge, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen
- A resident of Cook County
- A registered voter
- Able to speak, read and write English
- Of good understanding and capable of performing duties
Candidates running for office and elected political party committeemen are prohibited from serving as election judges.
Hours
Judges work long hours, arriving at the polling place at 5:15 am and working until the precinct votes are counted and transmitted after the polls close at 7 pm.
Compensation
Election judges receive a total of $150 for their work. That includes $100 for working the entire Election Day and $50 for attending a training session prior to the election. Judges must do both to earn $150.
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