More than 1,000 poll workers in Sangamon County prepared to maintain election integrity
When thousands of Sangamon County voters head to the polls on Tuesday, they will be greeted by poll workers who hold the task of ensuring secure and fair elections.
According to county clerk Don Gray, a staff of more than 1,000 election judges, registrars, and auxiliary support have been trained for Election Day at the 81 polling locations in the county.
"We have the very best in the state," Gray said Thursday. "They're very well-trained and we have experienced judges that return every election cycle."
While elections and voting have become increasingly tense politically, the clerk said recruitment of poll workers has gone on without a hitch locally.
Related:What's open, closed in and around Springfield, Illinois on Election Day, Nov. 8
Perhaps leading those concerns of election integrity is Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey. During a campaign event on Monday in Glen Ellyn, the state senator from Xenia asked attendees to visit his website and sign on to be a poll watcher.
"Are you concerned about election integrity?" Bailey asked the Dupage County crowd. "You should be."
Comments like these, and the candidate's association with former President Donald Trump who endorsed him, have prompted Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker's campaign to call-on Bailey to pledge to accept the election results in a recent letter.
"We have a responsibility to this state, and to people watching across the nation, to end our campaigns with honor and integrity, no matter the final tally," JB for Governor campaign manager Mike Ollen wrote to Bailey's campaign manager Jose Durbin earlier this week. "Illinoisans deserve to have faith in the most fundamental part of our nation’s democratic process."
The Bailey campaign would issue a statement in response to the letter, saying the candidate had "been clear he will accept the outcome of the election."
Eligible applicants must meet a set list of qualifications, including being a resident of the county where the poll is located, being 16 years or older, having a comprehension of arithmetic and English, and more. High school juniors and seniors wishing to be election judges must have written approval from their principal and parent or guardian while maintaining a GPA of 3.0 on a four-point scale.
Judges must identify their political affiliation, while registrars do not when filling out the application. Both are paid $200 for a full day's work.
If they meet those standards, Gray said applicants take a two-hour course that reviews their responsibilities to be certified.
"Their sole responsibility is really proper administration of election and polling places," he said, detailing how they validate and activate ballots, instruct voters on what they need to know, and generally keep the peace at the polls.
Election Day begins at 5 a.m. for those working the polls to set up before voters arrive. Voting will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. when those who have not already registered can do so as well.
As of Thursday, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections, 19,870 Sangamon County voters have received a pre-election ballot and 13,844 have been returned. Another 5,528 have voted early and 138 have voted during the grace period - which permits voters to register or change their address if they missed the deadline.
Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Election Day 2022: Sangamon County poll workers prepared for voting
