I'm gonna be an election judge in Illinois

[coffeenap]

from now until I am too old to do it. I figure being on site is a good idea. Anyone else doing this?

[crispini]

1. Already am.

An alternate judge; my precinct belongs to the rethugs (for now). Boy, try sitting at a polling place 12 hours with a buncha repubs... nails on chalkboard much? Actually they were all OK to me except one woman who was being a total bitch on purpose. I was so glad for the presence of my Democratic pollwatcher to back me up.

[Igel]

2. I did it for a few years up in Rochester, then moved.

I'm on the list in Houston, but wasn't called for the last election.

Prepare to be bored. If it's excitement you want, take up counting ants as they go into and out of an anthill.

[coffeenap]

3. Not looking for excitement,

looking to be trusted so I can move up the ranks and be there to witness the higher levels of counting, etc. Already have been offered the opportunity to set up the polling place and deliver ballots--sight unseen.

[Igel]

4. The only interesting part is when things go wrong.

And they always do. You watch your fellow poll workers stare at the machine as they futilely struggle to remember how to set it up: those two hours of training two years ago faded quick. Or they carefully instruct a voter to incorrectly fill out a provisional ballot.

In Rochester it really didn't matter who hauled what; on occasion a sanctimonious precinct chair would insist on doing certain things because s/he could issue rulings, but nobody cared. The BOE trusts people, and invariably people live up to expectations. With well-intentioned goof-ups. I don't think we'd ever be "promoted" to actually doing the tabulating or watch the tabulation. But it's NY, and we had lever machines.

Good luck.

[crispini]

5. We had an ENORMOUS catfight (albeit a very quiet one)

when we had a HUGE, really testy, line and I suggested that we split out the poll books into one more division so we could check voters faster. It was resolved, though.

I got to be the techsavvy one 'cause I was the only one there under 70. So I got to help a lot of people; it was very gratifying.

Then one of my neighbors turned up drunk and made a pass at me. THAT was fun. So, yeah, we had plenty of drama at my polling place this year.

[crispini]

8. Houston! Do you come by the Texas forum?

I don't recall seeing you there. You *so* should. Some of our best Texas DU'ers are in Houston. I'm actually starting to get a liking for the place (which is a lot for me to say, since I live in Dallas. heh heh heh.)

[Wilms]

6. How did you apply for the position? n/t

[crispini]

7. Ping your local party.

They usually nominate the judges and clerks to the election department. But every county is different.

[seriousstan]

9. 17 years and counting

[Philly Buster]

10. I'm an election judge in PA

I don't think I'll do it any more though. Too much aggravation.