I decided to become an election judge for the upcoming 2024 primary and general election in my county. It isn't about the money, rather it's because being retired, I have the time available to serve. I also know that they have a difficult time filling these slots because it involves one or more very long days with a lot of standing, and although I live in a pretty diverse and accepting community, I suspect some folks have concerns based on what has happened in other states in past elections.
My training involved some reading and a test online, and then about two and a half hours of in person combination lecture/show and tell at a local election office. It was particularly interesting to me because I've been voting by mail for a number of years, so really didn't know what was involved in the process of going to a polling center and casting a vote.
Obviously I can't speak to every single state out there, but what I can say is that anyone in any state who voices any concerns about voter fraud should be required to take election judge training before they DARE to cast any aspersions about election integrity.
The number of safeguards in terms of checks and rechecks to ensure only legal votes are counted, that no one has the ability to vote more than once, and that no one is intimidated or unduly influenced either by workers or other voters is so thorough that frankly I considered it excessive.
If someone has requested a mail-in ballot and shows up to vote, they are handled as a provisional voter in the same way as anyone who is not listed or has an error in their information in the voter list. They vote on a different form and their ballot is held until it is established that they are permitted to vote and that this is their first and only submitted ballot.
When someone needs help and they didn't bring a friend or family member with them, two judges from different parties must work together to help the voter mark their ballot.
To my surprise, as someone who learned to vote by pulling levers on voting machines - in this day and age, all ballots are paper with marks on them, whether you use a provided pen or you use a computer touch screen to make the marks for you. Those paper ballots are scanned and then held in case there is a need for a recount.
I am frustrated to live in a country where so many people just blindly regurgitate whatever they read on the internet or see on cable news or hear from a friend or relative without taking the time to research for themselves. And the idea that "if I didn't get what I wanted, it must have been rigged" is dangerous.....not just with elections, but with government decisions in general. Yes, potential unethical behavior and conflicts of interest should be pointed out. I support the "trust but verify" view of government - heck, view of pretty much everything in this world. Too many people are missing the "verify" part.
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