November 2, 2010: A Day In The Life Of An Election Judge

It's 4 a.m. on November 2 and my day is starting now. The polling place where I'll be serving as a Spanish-speaking election judge is only about a half mile up the road, but I'm up getting ready for the 15-hour day that I’ll be spending with the 11 colleagues with whom I will be manning the polling place at Piney Branch Elementary in Takoma Park.

The kids are out of school for the day but, last night at our mandatory Monday night meeting I found out we have one brave high school student who will trade a day of skateboarding or playing video games to see the nation's electoral process at work.

The job of an election judge actually starts weeks before Election Day with a four-hour training class that the Montgomery County Board of Elections requires for each person serving as a judge at the county’s 243 polling sites. At the training we learn the specifics duties of our assignment and are required to take an oath promising to adhere to policies that promote a fair electoral process for all voters.
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