Become an Election Judge

Are you interested in becoming an election judge with the City of Waconia for 2022? Read the information below about the requirements and time commitment, and fill out Election Judge Application available at City Hall or can be downloaded here and submitted to careers@waconia.org.

Election Judge Eligibility Requirements 

  • You must be eligible to vote in Minnesota
  • You must be at least 18 years old to serve on Election Day
  • If you are ages 16-17, you may serve as a Trainee Election Judge
  • You must be able to read, write, and speak English
  • You cannot be a spouse, parent, child, step, or sibling of any Election Judge working in the same precinct
  • You cannot be a candidate or the spouse, parent, child step, or sibling of a candidate on the ballot in that precinct.

Serving as an Election Judge

  • Election judges are asked to serve during both elections, although we know this isn’t always possible. The dates of the elections are:
    1. State Primary:               August 9, 2022
    2. General Election:         November 8, 2022
  • Election judges may serve all day from 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.mm. They may also choose to serve from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. or from 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. 
  • Election judges must complete a two hour training session. Judges working the Presidential Primary must also attend an additional one hour training session. 
  • Election judges are paid for their time. 

Time off from Work

State Statute provides that people who are selected to be election judges may take time off from work without loss of pay.  A prospective judge must give his or her employer at least 20 days written notice and a certificate from the City Clerk that shows the hours the person will work and rate of pay.  The employer may deduct what the person receives for being an election judge from his or her salary for the hours that overlap. Please note that federal agencies are not required to comply with this state law.

Student Election Judges

High school students aged 16 and older may be excused from school to serve as trainee election judges.   The students must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the County where the election is held, enrolled in a high school in Minnesota, have the approval of their parents and principal, and be in or have completed a course in government.  They must complete a two-hour election judge training course.   They serve without party affiliation, cannot serve past 10 pm, must be paid at least 2/3 of the minimum wage, and may not total more than 1/3 of the election judges in a precinct.  Student judges may perform all of the usual duties in the polling place except, because they are appointed without regard to party affiliation, they cannot perform those duties that require teams of judges from different political parties.