Cook County honors long-serving election judges
Cook County Clerk David Orr honored 64 outstanding suburban Cook County election judges Thursday at the sixth annual Judge Recognition Ceremony held in the Cook County Board chambers in downtown Chicago.
Orr thanked the poll workers for their excellent precinct performance and for standing out among 10,000 judges who serve each election day.
“You were selected because you are team players, you are dependable, many of you have worked for many elections and you make democracy work,” Orr said.
Among the election judges honored was Michelle Herbin, who has served for 30 years. When the Northbrook resident first started, tallying was done on a piece of paper.
“We have a very clean election and to me that’s very important,” Herbin said. “Being an election judge, you meet a lot of your neighbors, you get great satisfaction in helping, and knowing that you’re part of the democratic process (is great).”
Also honored were Reynaldo Navarro, 84, whose commitment to democracy has spanned decades, and Skokie’s Tsai Fen Lin, who serves as a bilingual judge.
Rob Elgas of NBC-5 served as master of ceremonies.
“Your long hours may seem endless and thankless at times, but your dedication and excellence did not go unnoticed,” he said. “For your exemplary service last election and every other election, we thank you.”
The backbone of the Cook County Clerk’s election operation, nearly 10,000 election judges work a 16-hour shift on Election Day starting at 5 a.m. Judges are responsible for setting up the polling place and election equipment, assisting voters when asked, and securing votes at the end of the night. All judges, even veteran participants, attend regular trainings to learn new procedures and techniques.
Registered voters who want to work for the Nov. 6 presidential election can apply online.
Northwest suburban honorees by township:
Barrington: Marion Miller, Michael Richardson
Elk Grove: Monica Brandt, Loretta Erdman
Hanover: Michael Baumer, Marlene Noel
Leyden: Kenneth Adair, Margarita Whaley
Maine: Farhan Arther, Timothy Van Driska
Palatine: Lorain Bauer, Helen Bultmann
Schaumburg: Mary Foley, James Owens
Wheeling: William Howe, Nancy Slonim