What are Judges of Election?

The judges of election are the officials responsible for the conduct of the election in the precinct polling place. The judges of election are the backbone of the electoral process.  Their jobs are challenging, interesting and personally rewarding.

In each precinct, the judges share in responsibilities, duties and authorities that include: 

(1) Setting up voting equipment at 5 a.m. on Election Day;
(2) Conducting a fair and impartial election in the precint polling place, allowing voting from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
(3) Tabulating the vote totals for the precinct and transmitting them to Election Central after the polls close at 7 p.m.  

To download a Judge of Election application, click here . (This form may not be used for those participating in the High School Student or College Student Judge programs.) 

Salary

Judges of Election are paid $170 only upon completion of training and service on Election Day.

Extra compensation is also paid to judges who:

--­ Pick up the Election Judge key envelope on either the Saturday or Sunday prior to Election Day;
-- ­Allow the use of the judge's cell phone (by all judges within the polling place) on Election Day;
--­ Return the election materials to a receiving station on election night (to be determined by all judges on Election Day.)

The Judge of Election Handbook for the 2010 Primary will be available at training sessions. The materials also will be available at this web site in early January 2010.

High School & College Student Judges of Election

The Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago also is proud to lead the United States in the employment of high school students and college students who serve as judges and in other support roles. In the 2008 elections, more than 4,500 students helped administer the elections in Chicago. Use these links to review more information on the High School Student Judge Program and theCollege Student Judge Program.

Early Voting for the 2010 Primary Election will be offered Jan. 11 through Jan. 28, 2010. This web site will list all of the locations and hours for Early Voting in early January 2010.

Early Voting is a newer provision of the Election Code, offered since 2006. During Early Voting, any eligible voter may cast a ballot at any Early Voting site designated in their jurisdiction (i.e., Chicago voters may use any of the Chicago Early Voting sites; Suburban Cook voters may cast ballots only at any of the Suburban Cook Early Voting sites.)

Voters do not need a reason or excuse to use Early Voting, but voters must present valid government-issued photo ID to cast ballots in Early Voting.

After casting ballots in Early Voting, voters may not return to amend, change or undo their ballots for any reason.  Ballots cast in Early Voting are final. It is a felony to vote more than once (or to attempt to vote more than once) in the same election.

Absentee Ballot Application 

The following provides information on absentee voting for persons who choose to vote by mail.

What is Absentee Voting?

Voters are allowed to cast their ballots prior to Election Day -- either in person at an Early Voting site or by mail through Absentee Voting.

Who Qualifies for Absentee Voting?

All persons registered to vote in Chicago are eligible to cast absentee ballots. The voter must file a completed and signed request for an absentee ballot by the legal deadline.

-- Applications from military and civilians overseas must be received at the Election Board by close of business on Jan. 25.

-- Applications from voters in the United States must be received at the Election Board by close of business on Jan. 22.

No Excuse Needed

Under a new law, voters in Illinois no longer need a reason or excuse to vote absentee.

In addition, the following unregistered voters are eligible to vote by absentee ballot:

-- Members of the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine and their spouses and dependents, whether serving in the United States or abroad.

-- U.S. citizens and their spouses or dependents, whose permanent residences are in Chicago but who will be temporarily residing abroad on Election Day.

-- U.S. citizens (not their spouses or dependents) who maintained a residence in Chicago immediately prior to their departure from the United States.

Absentee Voting by Mail

The most common method of obtaining an absentee ballot is by mail. Although every effort is made to process ballot applications quickly, mail delays may still occur. Therefore, voters should consider applying long before the deadline or using some form of express mail to minimize lost time due to delivery. Absentee applications can be processed no more than 40 days prior to an election. Consult the current election calendar published by the Board for specific dates.

Step 1 - Obtain and complete an absentee ballot application and return the application to the Board. Absentee ballot applications can be picked up at the Board offices or downloaded here.

Voters may call 1-312-269-7967 to request an absentee ballot application be mailed. The application must include the voter's name and registration address, as well as the address where the absentee ballot should be mailed. For the Primary Election, a party preference must be included on the application.

Upon receipt of the completed application, the Election Board mails an absentee ballot to the voter (or as soon as ballots are available from the printer.)

Absentee voters whose applications do not arrive by the deadline must vote absentee in person at the Election Board. (See details below.)

Step 2 - Vote the absentee ballot and return it to the Board for Processing.

Follow all enclosed instructions and make sure to vote in secret. A voted absentee ballot must be postmarked (or in the absence of a postmark, certified by the voter) on or before February 1, 2010 in order to be counted. The Board must receive the returned ballot by February 16, 2010 for the ballot to be counted.

The ballot may be returned personally, by an immediate relative, by U.S. Mail or by a state licensed motor carrier.

Once an absentee ballot has been returned to the Board, it cannot be retrieved or withdrawn. An absentee voter cannot vote in person in the polling place on Election Day unless he or she brings the absentee ballot (or a portion of it) to the election judges or completes an affidavit stating the absentee ballot was never received by the voter.

Military/Civilian Overseas Voters

Click here for more information on voting for members of the armed services and civilians living overseas.

Absentee Voting in Person

Any qualified voter may cast an absentee ballot in person in the offices of the Board of Election Commissioners the weekend before the election. Voting is conducted up to and including the day before an election. For information on absentee voting hours in the Board's offices, call 1-312-269-7967 approximately three weeks before an election.

Absentee Voting: For Physical Disability

Certain voters may also qualify for special additional absentee voting privileges as explained below:

Five-Year DVI Card - A voter with a permanent physical disability or a qualified nursing home resident may request aDisabled Voter's Identification Card (DVI), which is valid for all elections during a five-year period. The voter is automatically sent an absentee ballot application by the Board prior to each election. The voter must complete the application and return it to the Board in order to receive an absentee ballot.

Residents of Licensed Nursing Homes - Voters residing in licensed nursing homes vote on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday preceding an election. Residents who are registered voters and who submit an absentee ballot application by the Thursday before the election are allowed to vote during the scheduled nursinghome balloting. For complete information on nursing home voting procedures, contact the Board at 1-312-269-7865.

Hospitalized Voters - A registered voter who is hospitalized not more than 14 days before an election may request that an absentee ballot be delivered in person to him or her in the hospital. An affidavit must be completed by the voter, his or her attending physician, and the relative (or registered voter of the same precinct) who delivers the absentee ballot to the hospital. Contact the Absentee Department at 1-312-269-7967 for complete details on these procedures.

Absentee Voting Abuse

It is a felony in Illinois to vote more than once in the same election or to attempt to vote more than once in the same election.

Falsifying Eligibility for Absentee Ballots, Intimidation/Interference

Persons who knowingly make a false statement concerning their eligibility to vote absentee may be criminally prosecuted under Illinois law (10ILCS 5/29-10). Any person who intimidates or unduly influences another person to cast an absentee ballot in a manner inconsistent with the voter's intent or who marks or tampers with an absentee ballot of another person shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony. Note: A physically incapacitated voter is entitled to assistance if that voter requests the assistance. Voters are forbidden by law from using multiple voting systems (Early Voting and Absentee Voting, for example) to change or undo a ballot for any reason.