Are you a registered voting Maryland Republican? Wana make some dough?

[strredwolf]

Maryland still needs Republican election judges.  Pay is roughly $100 for the entire day (6am-9pm), w/$25 for training.  Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County got a raise to $110, more if you're up to be a chief judge.  You get to oversee the entire election process and make sure noone tampers with the Diebold election machines.

There's several types of judges:

• Book judges, which check to see if you're registered and generate a vote card for you.  A simple process.
  
• Unit judges, who keep an eye out on your voting.  Also simple.
  
• Provisional judges, who administer a "provisional ballot" if there's any problems with the entries.  I'm one, and it's fairly simple and mostly borring because you're the "catch-all" guy, which doesn't happen too much.
  
• Chief judges, which oversee everything.

If you're intrested, contact your local Board of Elections.  The link there will get you the list.  Anne Arundel County's Board of Elections (who I'm affiliated with) has their own page for recruitment.

Comments

[xaviusarchangel.livejournal.com]

Does one have to be a permanent resident of Maryland in order to be able to participate? :o

[strredwolf.livejournal.com]

You must be registered to vote in Maryland, which means a US citizen with residency in Maryland.

[xaviusarchangel.livejournal.com]

Pfft... details.

[mulethunder.livejournal.com]

Not that I'm anywhere near Maryland, but... Republican? Why Republican?

[strredwolf.livejournal.com]

Maryland's been a more sound Democratic seat, but MD Election law says we need at least two judges from each party in any precinct that has over 200 voters.

Baltimore City needs as many as they can get. From the Baltimore Sun, "The recruitment problem is not isolated to Baltimore. Prince George's County needed 600 more judges as of last week. Baltimore County won't know its gap until it finishes paying all of its judges who served on Sept. 12 but was 500 people short during the primary. Anne Arundel County estimates that it is 50 Republicans short."

The precinct I worked in had an Independent as a Republican judge.

[fferret.livejournal.com]

Baltimore County won't know its gap until it finishes paying all of its judges who served on Sept. 12 but was 500 people short during the primary.

What?!? I'm a Baltimore County judge. They never pay us until after the general, usually about Christmas is when the check comes in.
Actually, they will only need two GOP judges per precinct, one as Chief Judge. The Attorney General ruled several elections back that Democrats could serve as GOP judges in case of a shortage. My first election, I was a GOP judge. (ObDisclaimer: Yes, I am a Democrat.) (And I was very fair about it too. Didn't even snark once.) My wife is serving her first election, in the primary she was a GOP judge, which led to both of us working a pollbook together. When you get two computer-experienced people working the pollbook, you can move voters fairly quickly, I discovered.

One other little bit of trivia: In BC, at least, they have been trying to raise judges pay rate. (It's $150.00 for what turns out to be at least a 16-hour day.) Less than $10.00 an hour for being restricted to the poll, dealing with voters, observers, electronics malfunctions, etc. Doesn't seem enough to me. Sadly, the State Board sets the rate, apparently, so if you call them, maybe it'll get raised.
Ah, one last little note: Dr. Avi Rubin has been blogging about his experiences with the Diebold AccutvoteTS, it's flaws and the process in general as an election judge. Worth Googling for, and an interesting read.