Voters may be apathetic, but newest election judges pumped

We live in a state where voter apathy has become the stepchild of political corruption. Already weary voters are subjected to an onslaught of cynical, negative political commercials. And three out of every four people who register as voters couldn't be bothered to head to the polls on our last Election Day.

So talking busy college kids into spending long hours as election judges takes a little doing.

As the only Illinois institution to be awarded a $55,385 federal grant to train college students as election judges, Benedictine University in Lisle set a goal of having 100 new judges ready for next month's Election Day.

“We blew through that, says a smiling Joel Ostrow, chairman of the university's political science department and director of the election judge-training program. By incorporating the election judge training into the curriculum and offering special courses and online (http://electionjudgetraining.com) options, Benedictine has prepared more than 250 new judges and should top 300 by the Oct. 25 deadline, Ostrow says.

“It's great. We're really happy about the whole program, says Robert T. Saar, executive director of the DuPage County Election Commission. So are the students leading the project.

“It's our duty as American citizens. We're the freest country in the world, so we should be promoting this, says Jessica Singh, 23, a senior from Naperville.

“I wouldn't have been able to do this in the country I came from, says fellow senior Adnan Mujagic, 27, a Bosnia native who became a U.S. citizen in December and lives in Naperville. “I came from a country where political activity is a joke…I wish more students would be involved in the political process.

Noting that the majority of election judges are senior citizens, Benedictine senior Sandy Kim, 30, of West Chicago, says she hopes this training ignites a public-service spark in younger people.

“I think it's sad. We have the right to vote, which we take for granted, Kim ways. “This is a way to go above and beyond just casting your ballot once or twice a year.

Ostrow says the program, funded by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, meshes perfectly with the university's Jim Ryan Center for Civic Leadership and Public Service, which was founded by former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and encourages students to become active participants in democracy. Ryan not only teaches classes, he's constantly telling students to “Get involved! Get involved! Ostrow says.

“The whole purpose of it is to encourage good citizens _ be involved, be informed and be engaged, Ryan says.

Election judges can make as much as $160 an election, but Mujagic says the bigger draw for Benedictine students is the free “Helping America Vote T-shirts used to lure students into the election judge-training program.

“They are looking for opportunities to get involved, adds Mujagic, who, in addition to being an election judge, works on behalf of candidates and hopes to work in international law after graduation.

“They didn't even know when Election Day was, but once we explain it to them, there seems to be genuine interest, Singh says.

“They are just incredible, Saar says of the people involved in Benedictine's efforts. “The bulk of the election workers are retired people. God bless them, they are the backbone of the election process on Election Day, but we need younger people. The great thing is the relationship that develops between the retired people and the young people.

Adding 300 college students to the 800 high school students who already work as election judges should enable DuPage County to put seven or eight judges in each of the 383 voting locations, says Saar, who generally must scramble to cover all the polling places.

“We're doing pretty good, and that's the first time I can say that in years, Saar says.

Let's just hope voters realize their role in the democratic system or election judges might outnumber voters.