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Search is on for election workers across six-county suburban region

Recruitment of suburban election judges and other polling place workers for this fall is well under way, but without many of the reported challenges faced in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Neither does there seem to be much of a chilling effect among potential election workers in the six-county region from the highly publicized scrutiny and abuse some in other states faced following the outcome of the 2020 presidential race.

The Cook County Clerk’s office, for instance, is less than 100 people short of its goal of 7,000 with nearly two months left to go.

Director of Communications Frank Herrera said the training election works undergo prepares them for the volume of voters and other pressures they may face.

“The goal is to create a positive and supportive environment for all election workers despite any external pressures,” he said. “Additionally, our elections department has created an Election Security page on our website that addresses common questions the public has regarding elections. Election misinformation can be problematic, that's why we encourage all Cook County voters to look to the Clerk's office as their trusted source for all election-related information.”

Training for those already signed up in McHenry County started last week. Clerk Joseph Tirio said he feels the county is in a good position. But he knows recruitment must continue, as a precaution against unforeseen circumstances.

“We’ve never had the problem of too many people,” Tirio said. “It’s never too early to put in your application, and most of the people who become election judges stay election judges as long as they can.”

The political parties themselves are a major source of the workers. Tirio said he’s proud of their commitment to fairness and orderliness on the day.

“The people who come to vote pick up on that,” he added.

DuPage County Chief Deputy Clerk Adam Johnson agreed the perfect election judge isn’t necessarily an independent or undecided voter, but can be a registered Democrat or Republican committed to a fair process.

“We need representatives from both political parties,” Johnson said. “At the moment, we’re in pretty good shape.”

In June, Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry announced her goal to recruit and train 500 new election judges during the summer and fall to add to the approximately 1,500 she had for the March primary.

“I expect tremendous turnout in the 2024 general election,” Staley Ferry said in a statement. “As a result, we must train and deploy as many qualified election judges as possible to serve Will County voters.”

Pay for the various election jobs is fairly comparable across the suburbs; most increased pay recently to offset pandemic-era shortfalls in the workforce.

The duties, pay and application details for the positions can be found on the websites of all six county clerks’ offices. There are also identified roles for students.

In suburban Cook County, election judges will be paid $250 while polling place technicians will earn $400. For more information, visit CookCountyClerk.com/Work.

For DuPage County election judges, there is a flat rate of $250 with an additional $30 each for the judge who picks up supplies in the morning and both members of the bipartisan teams who return the supplies at night. Visit dupagecounty.gov/elected_officials/election_and_voter_information.

The pay is also $250 for election judges in Kane County. Visit clerk.kanecountyil.gov/Elections/Pages/Election-Personnel.aspx.

  Election judges assist Lake County voters at the Fremont Township Office in Mundelein last year. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com, 2023

In Lake County, the pay is $225 for a check-in judge, $285 for a ballot-box judge and $240 for a voter services judge. Early voting judges will receive $15 per hour. Visit lakecountyil.gov/326/Election-Judges.

The pay for McHenry County election judges is $200, while polling place technicians will receive $280. The training pay is another $60. Visit mchenrycountyil.gov/departments/county-clerk/elections/election-judges.

Base pay for Will County election judges is $200. Visit willcountyclerk.gov/elections/current-election-judges/.

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