Student Judge
Students who participate in the Student Judge program play a crucial role by serving as the gatekeepers of democracy.
As part of a team of judges, you'll be responsible for helping voters and supervising polling place activity. You also get paid for it. Student election judges can earn up to $170 every election.
If you're a high school senior or junior, you may apply to serve as a student election judge even though you're not old enough to vote.
Qualifications
To qualify as a student judge, you must:
- Be a high school senior or junior in good standing
- Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Be a U.S. citizen by the next election
- Successfully complete an election judge training course conducted by the Clerk's office
- Be nominated by your high school principal
- Have written approval from a parent or legal guardian
- Reside in Cook County
Responsibilities
Student judges share the same responsibilities, hold the same authority and perform the same tasks as other election judges. They include:
- 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/issuing activation cards for touch screens
- Operating voting equipment
- Filling out forms
- Processing and transmitting votes at the end of the day
- Certifying vote totals
Hours
As an election judge, you'll be expected to work long hours. You must arrive at the polling place at 5:15 a.m. and stay until the precinct votes are counted and transmitted after the polls close at 7 p.m.
Training
To prepare for Election Day, you must attend a two-hour training session conducted by the Clerk's office. The training sessions are held at convenient locations throughout the county.
The training, designed to prepare you to carry out your polling place responsibilities, will provide hands-on instruction that focuses on election procedures and voting equipment.
Compensation
Election judges receive a total of $170 for their work. This compensation is rewarded to students who attend training, pass the test and work on Election Day. All these conditions must be met.
Party affiliation
State law requires that on Election Day you represent either the Democratic or Republican party as an election judge. Five election judges are assigned to a precinct or polling place. Previous precinct election results determine if more Democratic or Republican judges will serve in a precinct.
Restrictions
No more than two student judges - one from each political party - can serve in a single precinct.
Placement
The Clerk's office will notify you once you have been appointed to serve and will try to assign you to a polling place located near your home or school.
Missing school
If you serve as a student election judge, you will not be counted absent from school on Election Day.
Bilingual judges
The Cook County Clerk's Office is always looking for bilingual election judges.
State law maintains that all election judges must be able to read and write English. In accordance with Federal law, the Clerk’s Office assigns bilingual judges to precincts in suburban Cook County with high concentrations of Spanish- and Chinese-speaking voters who are not proficient in English. The Clerk’s Office also provides Spanish and Chinese ballots.
Application/Deadlines
Please complete the First Judge application form and submit it to your teacher. The Clerk's office must receive your application at least 60 days before the next election.
Interested?
If you have any questions about the Clerk's First Judge Program, please call (312) 603-1099 or e-mail SCOLON@cookcountygov.com.
Download application
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: (312) 603-6769