Texas election judge/clerk information thread!

I am serving as an election judge on November 4. I have never done this before in my whole life. I am excited, nervous, empowered, and intimidated all at once. Yes, I am scheduled to attend training classes on how to run my polling place, but I thought it would be good if Texas DUers had a thread where they could share helpful tips and info on how to make the whole process run more smoothly.

Here's what I know for sure:

Texas Election Code 61.003 prohibits any electioneering within a hundred feet of the polling place. In Dallas County, this does not prohibit voters from wearing a simple American flag either as a pin or as a shirt or as a jacket patch, as long as it's nothing but the flag. Distributing "I Voted" stickers with pictures of American flags to voters also passes muster.

Also, if any voter in my polling place starts blabbing about how someone else in the polling place has voted, that is a third-degree felony. And, as an election judge, I can issue a warrant of arrest for that person. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Otherwise, I'm looking at 12+ hours of checking registration cards, obtaining signatures, occasionally wrangling with poll watchers, keeping everyone's mitts off the ballot box, covering for potty breaks, ordering pizza (unless it's safe to excuse election clerks for meal breaks), and trying to make the whole ordeal as painless as possible for both clerks and voters.

Hence, this thread. Please share your own experiences and tips here!

(Democrat in a republican precinct)

You described it to a tee, except if someone starts talking about their or someone else's vote, just throw them out.

...unless I see some intimidation going on, in which case I will not hesitate to seek a warrant.

What are you doing here?
We are trying to win this election.
There are snakes in the grass around here.
They are just looking for election judges that they can disqualify.
So they can stack the poll places with there judges.
And rig the election.
They are behind in the polls
They are will to go to no ends to win.
They are willing to try any thing.
Larry L. Burks

No problem to be partisan outside the polling place.

And never a problem to give advice that is correct.

But, for the record, Harris County, is short over 100 election judges.

The other side can't find anyone else willing to spend 10 hours (roughly) LEARNING how to do it.

Then hours, preparing to do it.

And the longest freaking day you can imagine doing it. Suffering fools all throughout the day.

If you ask me, election judges ROCK. We are doing the hard, hard, lowly paid work of democracy.

There aren't enough people willing to do it.

Marcia Mohr - no longer the only Tomball Democrat
Precinct Chair &
Alternate Election Judge
Harris County, Texas

We appreciate you in - gulp - Tomball.

Stop right there don't say another word.
You can't start a thread on DU. Why?
Every hear of Fair and Free election.
If you are an election judge.
If you start a thread on Du.
It will disqualify you from being a judge.
You can't come here and ask for advice for the same reason a court judge can go get advice from a lawyer in which he is going to preside over a court case. In which the lawyer is a part of.
You can't come here for advice.
You are in violation of the rules of civil of procedure.
It is a violation of the fairness doctrine.
By coming here for advice.
You are expressing bias toward the Republican Party or any other party.
You will disqualify you self From being a election judge.
The fairness doctrine works both way.
Favors for non. Justice for all.
Judges are to be impartial.
Any time that A judge has a conference with a lawyer in as case that he is over seeing.
The lawyers of all Parties have to be present.
This way they don't express any signs of prejudice.
By coming here. You are only hearing one side.
Save your self.
Leave now.
The class you are going to take will tell all you need to know.
If you have any question. Ask them then.
If some thing comes up when you are acting as a the election judge.
And you don't know what to do.
They will give you a phone number to call. I'm sure that they have some kind of back up.
Being here asking for advice from us. May disqualify you from being an election judge.
They will school you about these thing at the class.
Go to the class. It's going to be O.K.

Larry L. Burks.

I teach the class sometimes, ok?

Nothing wrong with what goes on here.

Your speed is going to be limited, not by the number of poll booths you have set up, but by the sign in table. I would break your poll book out into three or maybe even four parts if you have a big precinct.

Bring an extra extension cord and your cell phone charger.

Bring a mapsco, to give people directions to their polling place when they are in the wrong place. Dallas county will give you a computer with all the polling places, and directions on it, but last I heard it did not have a map, just turn by turn driving directions. This may have changed, though.)

Make sure you have plenty of coverage (people) to help you button it up. It'll take you a long time to just get the ballots out of the box. In other words don't let anyone go home at 7!

Set up a "trouble table" to the side where you can help people find where they REALLY need to vote, and do your provisionals and so on. This way you can pull your problem children out of the line and keep the main line flowing quickly.

Go to the school the night before to set up your booths and your layout. Make sure you have your emergency contact number for the next day, just in case.

Put out your distance markers the night before. This will ensure that everyone puts up their signs beyond the distance markers.

The morning of, doublecheck to make sure that no signs have wandered inside the distance markers. You may relocate them or you may throw them away, your choice. :evilgrin:

Wait til 6:55 to swear in your clerks, and do it out loud, in front of the waiting voters. It is amusing for the voters and it gives them confidence in the system.

Have a rain plan for your line.

Have an extra "floater" available to control your line, route voters to the end of the line, etc.

That's all I can think of for now -- will think of more later. :hi:

And preorder the pizza for the workers the day before to be delivered at either 10:45 or 1:45 - lunch voters can give you heavy turnout and the pizza gets cold.

I *always* have people who have forgotten their specs. If you have an extra pair of reading glasses around the house, you might bring those.

A jacket to cover up to lend to those who inadvertenly wear partisan gear is nice to have too.

Also, clipboards (legal size) are good to have and are cheap at Office Max. If your line for voting booths backs up too much you can hand them to people and let them sort of back off in a corner if they have a ballot but don't want to wait for a booth.

Make sure you have a table handy where wheelchair voters or voters who need to sit while voting can sit down and vote reasonably privately.

Program all of the useful numbers you'll get at your class into your phone ahead of time.

I bought an accordian file at Office Max for like eight bucks and used it to organize my various forms the night before.

Excellent ideas all around! :hi:

I thought y'all would like this... In Galveston County, the Republican Party couldn't get enough people to be election judges or clerks, so they asked the Galveston County Democrats to help them fill the slots! :rofl:

The classes here in Harris County are great, but be sure to carefully and completely read everything again at home. If you are the presiding judge, that's definitely the larger job. Alernate is much easier, but every important. It's how we here in Texas keep each other honest. Cuts down on the need for poll watchers when we're looking over each other's shoulder.

Here's some tips (non-legal):

You'll have some folks show up that don't live in your precinct. It's a big help to have a map of neighboring precincts - and their polling places. The mis-directed voter will be much happier if you can send them off to the right place.

They don't normally pack tape and scissors in the election supplies. You might be glad you brought some of both with you.

Smile and enjoy yourself. You'll be creating a memory you'll treasure - for yourself and others.

Great point about the tape and scissors. Thanks!