Baltimore City still recruiting election judges as primary approaches
BALTIMORE -- With Maryland's primary election just days away, Baltimore City's Board of Elections is putting out another call for help for volunteers.
The city needs citizens to act as election judges, one of the most crucial elements of the voting process. Right now, the last few days of training is underway.
Election Director Armstead Jones says his team is hard at work training and recruiting as many people as they can to reach the minimum of 1,700 judges they need.
"[We're] trying to reach that magic number to make sure we're able to open up all polling places for July 19," Jones said.
The need for election judges is an issue across Maryland. In response, the state is now expanding leave incentives for state employees who serve as local election judges.
In Baltimore City, volunteers selected as election judges will be paid $200 a day, and a chief judge would get $275 a day.
"It's not a type of job where it's a regular employee that can run the 296 precincts, so we need the help of our citizens to do that," Jones said.
Jones places the COVID-19 pandemic at the top of the factors keeping volunteers away.
"A lot of our election judges are 60 and older, and they have been the ones that have carried us through for many years," Jones said. "So we're trying to recruit more younger folks to come on board."
Philo Amaechi is a recent Towson University graduate stepping up to the plate to offer assistance. election judge trainee
"I'm learning a lot of new things," she said. "I want to eventually go to law school and become a judge, so this really interested me. "
Amaechi hopes others follow in her footsteps.
'I think it's going to be a good learning experience for me," she said. "I can use what I learned here and take it wherever else I go"
