Cook County and Chicago need more election workers — and soon, with the March 19 Illinois primary fast approaching.
Thousands of election judges, especially those who are bilingual, are needed to fully staff voting precincts not just for the primary election, but for the general election in November.
It sounds cliche, but it really is true: Election judges, and other poll workers and election officials, are a vital cog that ensures the wheels of democracy — our elections — continue to turn.
But political parties (election judges from both political parties are required by Illinois law to staff polling places) have put judge recruitment far back on the burner, adding to other barriers like low pay and long hours that combine to make it far more difficult now to find judges, as WBEZ’s Tessa Weinberg points out in a story published Tuesday by the Sun-Times.
As well, threats to election workers have been on the rise nationally in recent years, hurting recruitment across the country — though election officials in the Chicago area have said threats are relatively rare here.
This year, election officials in Chicago and Cook County are offering higher pay to attract more judges. In the past, groups such as veterans and high school students have been targeted via recruitment campaigns — and those efforts could help again.
There’s another important point: Getting young people involved. Most election judges and other poll workers are middle-aged or older, perhaps retirees with time to spare: In 2022, the largest share of election workers, 31.7% were ages 61 to 70; the next-largest share, 26%, were over 70, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
That’s why state Rep. Daniel Didech’s proposed bill to offer academic credit, rather than pay, to college students who serve as election judges makes sense. That bill passed the state House of Representatives, but the state Senate has yet to vote on it. They should do so, in time for the November election. It’s another step in the right direction to make it easier and more attractive for young people to learn about and participate in the democratic process.
Legislators and election officials can pass new laws and offer incentives, but there’s another barrier to overcome: Apathy or hesitance.
But as Cook County lead election judge trainer LaShaone Hatchett told Weinberg, “The more you know about it, the less you fear it.”
Chicagoans can learn more about becoming an election judge or poll worker at pollworker.chicagoelections.gov/. Those who live in Cook County can go to www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/work-election-day.
This editorial is published as part of “The Democracy Solutions Project,” a partnership among the Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government to examine critical issues of democracy as the 2024 election approaches.
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