Long-distance drives, excused absences get election judges to the polls

On Election Day, Kelly Barrett will make her way to the polls in Deer River, but she won’t be there to vote.

Barrett lives 20 miles away in Talmoon. In 2022, she saw a Facebook post stating the small city in western Itasca County was in dire need of election judges.

Election judge shortages can put a strain on polling locations. This year on the Red Lake Nation, for example, there aren’t enough election judges to staff the polling location in Redby, meaning those voters must instead cast their ballots at the Red Lake Government Center.

Ideally, each location will have shifts covered, plus extra judges at the ready in case of emergencies. Places like Deer River rely on people to travel from other parts of the county to meet Election Day needs.

Barrett reached out to get involved, completed her election judge training and has made the trek to Deer River on every Election Day since.

“I keep going back to Deer River, because that's where the need is, and I keep being asked, am I willing to do that? And I certainly am,” Barrett said.

Barrett was willing to step up but admitted she was nervous going into her first election.

“Even though it was November, I put Christmas music on my CD player in the car because they make me feel braver than I really am. I haven't needed to play them again since,” Barrett said.

She said working as an election judge is easier than people think, and you don’t need to be any sort of expert. With each training and poll shift, she feels more comfortable. She said she finds the work incredibly rewarding.

“You have a strong sense that you're supporting your fellow citizens in this way, and that they appreciate this effort, that we're all in this together. For me, and I think for the people I work with, it's a time of camaraderie and integrity and community, and that is really worth your time,” Barrett said.

Barrett regularly works alongside retired substitute teacher Gwenn Smith. Smith became an election judge after noticing people working at the polls were always smiling and happy to help people.

Stella Mayerhoff

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KAXE / Report for America

“That's kind of why I started — to have a smiling face there, and I keep going, because to me, voting is so important,” Smith said.

Smith worked her first election in 2000 and recalled she could barely stop smiling. She has missed only one election since then.

“I couldn't work, because my sister was running for a county office. And I hated it because I just walked in and voted and left, and it was like, ‘Well, that wasn't fun,’” Smith said.

Fortunately, that was the exception. Deer River residents can count on seeing Smith on Election Day, making sure things run smoothly with a smile.

“People do need to know that elections are fair and are run according to law, and we're trained people, and we're not trying to be partial to any person or party or anything. We're just trying to be the ones that make the people's voices heard,” Smith said.

She said a highlight is seeing first-time voters.

“I just love it when 18-year-olds come and register to vote. It's like almost a rite of passage for them to vote and get on the election rolls. So that's always a real high for me. I always high-five people and congratulate them,” Smith said.

But as new voters cast their first ballots, some election judges are aging out of their roles. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission reported most poll workers in the 2024 general elections were at least 61 years old.

Smith said she’s noticed the trend herself when she brings ballots back to the county at the end of Election Day.

“There's an awful lot of gray hair waiting there. Other people are bringing in votes, and I'm gray-haired totally too. So I'm not calling the kettle black, but we're aging,” Smith said.

Still, there are young people getting involved.

Contributed

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Lorie Shaull

Maryn Bergstrand and Elliott Spahn are juniors at Grand Rapids High School. The two friends aren’t old enough to vote, but they have already served as student election judges.

Student election judges need to be at least 16 years old. They can’t work past 10 p.m. or do certain tasks that require a regular election judge. But they can help make Election Day run smoothly.

Bergstrand said the opportunity came from their shared interest in politics.

“We were researching one day how we could become more involved in our community, and we saw that election judges don't have to be, like, adults. They can be students, and they can train us on the job to see how our elections work,” Bergstrand said.

Bergstrand and Spahn both attended election judge training in June. As student election judges, they can do just about everything the other judges can do.

“We helped them get into vote, checking them in, and then we would also give them ballots, and then we would help if there was an error or anything like that,” Spahn said.

The two will miss class on Tuesday — with their school’s permission — for what they hope will be a busy day at the polls.

Stella Mayerhoff is a Report for America corps member, covering Minnesota’s headwaters region for KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.