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Politics & Government

Takoma Park Looking for Election Judges

You can obtain an application from the City Clerk.

Takoma Park is recruiting judges to work at the polling place on Election Day, and a leading trait among recruits is a desire to make the voting process work, said city clerk Jessie Carpenter, who is receiving the applications.

Election judge applicants should be “people who want to assist in making the process work, and to help voters, and be willing to learn want is needed to know to make the day a success,” Carpenter said.

The deadline for filing an application to be an election judge is Sept. 18, and training for those selected is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 5, with the general election Nov. 8.

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Applicants who have some experience as election judges—usually with Montgomery County—generally do better than those who do not have any experience, Carpenter said. In addition, those who serve as election judges tend to not be politically active in the sense that they are directly working for a candidate because those who are so politically active tend to be preoccupied, she added.

Election judges are responsible for conducting the city election under the supervision of the Board of Elections and the city clerk, according to information on the position provided by Carpenter. The judges serve “as the primary contact between the voting public and city government,” and the image they “project is a reflection on the city.” They take an oath stating that you will execute the office of election judge “to the best of your skill and judgment, diligently and faithfully, without partiality or prejudice.”

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The city also makes it clear that election judges do not work for candidates. “Electioneering or expressions of partisanship by election judges during the time they are performing their duties are expressly forbidden,” the city says.

In addition, it is an election judge’s duty to keep a watch out for irregularities by candidates and their staff, or voters, Carpenter said. That includes ensuring voters are not using their cell phones in the voting area, that voters are not being influenced in how they vote while in the voting area; that a voter is who he or she claims to be; that candidates are not imposing any type of undue influence; that the ballots are being securely inserted into the scanner, and that the whole area is secure.

Election judge training will provide them with logistic information they need to know for election day, including what time they have to be there; how they need to dress; and how long the day is, Carpenter said. The judges will receive instruction on how they can assist voters who need assistance, and they will be given some basic instruction on Takoma Park elections “because we do things a little differently than the county” such as with the absentee voting process, she said.

Those interested in applying to be Takoma Park election judge can obtain an application from the city clerk’s office.

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