by Dennis Dalman
Some people might soon want to start thinking about becoming election judges because there is an increasing need for them in St. Joseph as elsewhere.
There are enough judges for the Presidential Nomination Primary March 5 in St. Joseph, said City Clerk Kayla Klein, but there will be a real need for more judges come Aug. 13 (the primary election) and Nov. 5 (the presidential/general election day).
“In elections in August and November, there will be far more people voting (than in the March election),” Klein said in an interview with the Newsleaders. “With more people, more voters, there will be judges needed for crowd control.”
Klein has been an election head judge for the past two voting cycles. Many people think being an election judge is a hectic and stressful job, but it really isn’t, Klein noted.
“A voting day goes by quite quickly,” she said. “It’s great to see first-time voters and people bringing kids in with them. We all look forward to it. And it’s improving all the time. For instance, we now have e-poll books, which allows for quick electronic access to voter information rather than pages of printed poll lists.”
Election-judge training will be done by Stearns County officials starting with sessions in May and June, Klein noted.
The following is more information about election judges:
There are regular judges and head judges, and ideally each precinct should have two head judges per precinct for each election day, Klein noted. Head judges are in charge of the overall functioning of a polling place in each of a city’s precincts, which helps the process go more smoothly. St. Joseph has two precincts, two polling places: the Government Center and the Gathering Place (at the Catholic church).
Eligibility
To become an election judge, a person must be 18 or older, a Minnesota resident for at least 20 days, a citizen of the United States (identification may be required), the ability to read, write and speak English, be eligible to vote and be able to attend training sessions, which are free.
Non-eligibility
Election judges cannot be related to another election judge in the same precinct who would work at the same time; cannot be a candidate in the election; and cannot have a spouse, parent, step-parent, child, step-child, brother or sister living in the same household as a candidate.
Judge duties
The following are the kinds of judges and what they do:
A head judge is in charge overall at the polling place.
A greeter judge directs the flow of people arriving at the polling place and maintains order.
A roster judge signs in both registered voters and those who need to register to vote right at the polling place.
A demonstration judge explains to voters how to mark their ballots to make sure the markings will be valid.
A ballot judge hands out ballots to voters.
A ballot-counter judge oversees the ballot box area and gives out “I VOTED” stickers as voters prepare to leave the polling place.
Training
Judges take two to three hours of paid training sessions at the county level and are then certified for two years after which another round of training sessions is required.
Payment
Election judges are paid $14 per hour for their service, and that amount is also paid during training. Head election judges are paid $15 per hour, including training.
Employers of election judges must provide time off from work. The employee/judge is required to provide the employer with a written notice 20 days in advance of election day. The city clerk can provide that notice upon request.
Application
Anyone interested in becoming an election judge can fill out an application found online at cityofstjoseph/328/Election-Judges. On that page, click on “Election Judge Application” on the upper right of the page.
The application can be returned by email to St. Joseph City Clerk Kayla Klein at kklein@cityofstjoseph.com or it can be mailed to “Kayla Klein, City Clerk; 75 Callaway St. E.; St. Joseph, MN 56374.
Klein’s phone number is 320-229-9421.
St. Joseph City Clerk Kayla Klein
