Me, a judge?

A few months ago Andrew sent out an email to our District asking for people to help with elections.  I thought to myself, "I can sit all day so I can do that."  I really had no idea what my duties would be until I went to the training for election officials last week.  That was when I was told, "You're a judge."   Me, a judge?  I listened carefully to the instructions in class and felt certain that I could handle being a judge.  Yesterday was the big test.

 

This was my first time helping with the elections so I was a busy girl and oh so happy to see so many people.  Those of you from big cities will probably chuckle at that comment.  However, when you live on a farm, seeing 102 voters plus 4 other election board members all day plus my little grandson, Timothy, it's a BIG day!!!

 

This post is to share what being a judge in an election all entails.  Each voting precinct is staffed by an Inspector who is in charge of running a fair election.  There are 2 clerks who take proof of residence and identification from everyone who came to vote.  Their other main job was to update the log books so they spent some time, during the lull periods, removing names of deceased voters.  It was the somber part of their duties.  They also updated everyone's addresses as people brought proof of residence in our precinct.

 

As a judge, I was responsible for witnessing and signing all legal documents.  We judges gave people their ballots and explained to voters that they could only vote in one column as it was a Primary Election.  We had to initial each ballot and give the city people their proper ballots as we have 2 cities in our precinct.  We also explained how to add a write-in name on the ballots, if people wished to do so, and fill in with the ovals beside the name they wrote.

 

We opened the door at 9:00 AM and closed it at 7:00 PM and we couldn't leave the building during those hours. Our minor duties included making sure that nobody stole the pens from the voting booths and keeping the area clean.  We all brought our lunches boxes and ate out of them all day.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and liked it even more when I realized that I was getting paid for serving my country in this way--minimum wage +25% for attending the training last week--which I did. 

 

When voting hours ended and the doors were closed, we started counting.  We had to separate and count all of the ballots not used; the ballots that were voted; and the ballots that had write-in names on them.  Then we double counted them and checked that all ballots were initialed.

 

After the ballots were all counted, we had to wrap them in butcher paper and seal and label them with the labels provided.  There were many little packages all neatly wrapped when we were finished.  We also gathered all of the voting items from the Commissioners room where the voting took place. 

 

Everything went into a giant blue cooler which the city ballots were slid into during the election.  The Inspector of our election then had to take that giant blue cooler down to the court house in Linton last night along with the totals we judges had taken as we counted. 

 

I was privileged to work with a woman who has been a judge for decades.  She taught me MUCH.  As we wrapped ballots together, she shared a story from the good old days which explained why we have so many rules involving secrecy and proper procedures.  She said that, when she was young, the man who was in charge of the ballots went to the bar immediately following the election leaving the ballots in his unlocked car................ 

So as I summarize my thoughts on my exciting day yesterday, I will say that I simply loved being a part of the election day proceedings!!  It was awesome to see our election team working together and it was inspiring to see young voters coming in to vote!  I had a great co-judge and I LOVED seeing my family coming in to vote and showing off my grandson to the other grandmas and mothers on the board!  IT WAS A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I had  to drive 20 miles to get there; stay indoors all day on a perfectly lovely day; and learn from a child present about a computer program for kids called "Wicked Grandma" where Grandma chops off your head if you tick her off 5 times but I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the election process this year.  Would I do it again, ABSOLUTLY!!

For those of you in North Dakota who voted for Kelly Armstrong THANK YOU!

Looking forward to November,

Dawn

 

PS  I initialed a lot of these yesterday--not these exactly but ballots like this.  Below I copied an article about election judge duties in case anyone is interested in learning more about what I did as a judge. We don't have voter registration in North Dakota so that part is different.

Become an Election Judge

Purpose

The Election Judge who operates the polling place is a very important part of the electoral process.  She is responsible for administering the actual voting procedures in each precinct. Without this individual, it would be impossible to conduct an election.

Expectations & Responsibilities

• The ideal election judge will be able to endure long hours on Election Day (about 14 hours) and will deal courteously and patiently with the public and coworkers.
• All judges must make sure that qualified voters who are properly registered are able to cast their vote in a trouble-free environment.
• The Election Judge represents the entire electoral process and may be the only person a voter has contact with when exercising his or her voting rights. Therefore, the Election Judge must be reliable, courteous, and able to follow procedures exactly.
• Election Judges must possess good judgment.

Qualifications

Any person who holds a position as Election Judge must be:

• 16 years old or older
• Registered voter in the State of Maryland
• Able to speak, read, and write English
• Physically and mentally able to work at least a 15-hour day
• Willing to work outside your home precinct
• Able to sit and/or stand for an extended period
• Able to lift a minimum of 35 pounds

Duties

Election Judges are responsible for administering voting procedures in their precinct and ensuring a fair and accessible election for all eligible voters. Duties include:

• Assisting voters
• Checking in voters
• Overseeing all election procedures throughout the polling place
• Setting up and breaking down a polling place before and after voting hours