I'm an election judge here in Illinois.

[RoccoRyg]

I've done it before when I lived in Springfield, and now I'm doing it in Chicago. This time, judges will be using a touchscreen tablet with all the voter information on it. If you've already voted or submitted an absentee ballot, that will appear in the database and you can not vote. If you insist it's a mistake, you can have a provisional ballot that will be reviewed by the election committee later.

Unlike the states that implemented the harsh, racist voter ID laws, Illinois only requires your signature, the one form of ID you can never lose and never expires (plus its free to have.) A Democratic and Republican judge will compare your signature to the one in the database to see if it matches, and then you get your ballot.

At the end of the day, every ballot is removed and counted to ensure the results are correct. We even review the write-in candidates and count how many votes they got. Then everything is sealed in the containers, and one democrat and one republican drive the boxes to the courthouse and drop them off. This system makes voter fraud virtually impossible and ensures a fair election. So much for "widespread voter fraud," James O'Keefe.

[Wait Wut]

1. Thank you for the information!

And, thank you for your service.

[KamaAina]

2. "the one form of ID you can never lose and never expires"

What if you become paralyzed? California allows electronic signatures.

[former9thward]

3. As a long time resident of Chicago I will give you the reality.

People who have moved from Chicago come back to the city to vote. Those may be living in suburbs of IL or across the state line in IN. They are still listed on the Chicago sheets because they never took their name off. Another thing I saw as a poll watcher was the practice of parents taking in mentally disabled children and voting for them. You may think that is proper but I don't. I do not doubt the polling place itself is honest but that is not where the problem is.

[Bluenorthwest]

17. Disabled people of voting age have the right to assistance in marking a ballot, no matter what you

think. Here is a breakdown on the facts for the State of Illinois:
You have the right to get help in marking a ballot if you need help due to any physical impairment, blindness, or inability to read, write, or speak English. You may be assisted by any person you chose other than your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union. If you wish, you may also be assisted by two of the election judges, each being of a different political party. You are required to state under oath the nature of the impairment that causes you to seek help.
http://www.illinoislegalaid.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.dsp_content&contentID=214

[former9thward]

18. You know I am talking about severe mental handicaps.

I have seen people in Chicago who have no idea what voting even is having their ballot voted by the parents. You may think it is proper for some people to have 2 votes while others have 1, I don't.

[Stuart G]

4. More than forty years ago.in Illionis

I was a poll watcher. Not a judge. An independent candidate was running in an aldermanic election in Chicago, and I represented that candidate at that polling place... After the polls closed we all counted the ballots together, the judges and the watchers. They were paper ballots. I turned to one of the judges, and he/she let me count the ballots. I recall there were about one hundred and seventy or so ballots. So, I counted them, and the judges count was correct, no cheating, no big deal. The precinct captain for the regular democratic candidate, who won, had done his work, and he got out the vote. I think his guy got about 100, and we got 50 (independent) ...the republican got 20 ...No machines, paper ballots,.. no big deal. (Oh, and the count was all done in about an hour..)

[lunasun]

5. It is a long day. For you I hope it will go fast and no issues

[RoccoRyg]

6. Now that you mention it...

Back in Springfield in 2008, some overweight bearded jag-off wore a shirt with Obama's face that said, "No to an inexperienced assclown." He was not allowed to wear something like that because it's a form of electioneering. That was my first time so I didn't call him on it, but this time if I see anyone wearing something like that, I will make them cover it up. I'm the judge!

[lunasun]

13. I had some issues too when doing it too but nothing big just weird stuff like you mentioned that

you need to deal with...yep....you the judge!

[msanthrope]

7. Democratic campaign election monitor here!!! Thank you for your service! nt

[freshwest]

10. Kudos to both of you! I wonder if I'd make it in that system, though...

My once distinctive (and extremely long) signature now looks like a doctor's scribble on a prescription form. I'd never be able to decipher it myself.

Fortunately, our mail-in ballot allows usto write in our phone number in case there is a question. They call to see who's who.

At least the bank always takes my failing efforts at penmanship. Which sort of makes them suspect, don't you think?

Proud of you and all of DUers doing this work!

[RobertEarl]

8. Good going

To count paper ballots, all you have to do is make individual piles of the votes for the candidates in the race. Then just count how many ballots are in each pile. You can even use a machine to count how many ballots are in each pile. Shouldn't take more than an hour in each precinct.

What I vote with is paper ballots tabulated with a scanner computer and they just take a machine count. I have given up fighting them. Even the Dems on the committee look the other way, and the last audit I was aware of found a 4% discrepancy in the count. They all said: close enough. Grrrrr

[appleannie1]

9. That is pretty much the way it is done in Pennsylvania except the copy of the signature

from when you registered is in a book in alphabetical order and you have to sign under it when you come to vote. There is a Dem and Repub judge, a dem and repub clerk. The clerks are responsible for checking the machines every hour to insure that the voter tally there and the voter tally in their books match. It is a long day, from 6Am until all the votes are counted, copies of the tallies are made, absentee votes are counted by hand and sealed in a special envelope, all are sealed in a special container and the dem and Repub judges have driven them to the courthouse in our county to turn them in. Usually that is after 10PM.

[tritsofme]

11. Thank you so much for your service! Long time Cook County resident, in the suburbs.

I have always provided my signature, and never been questioned. It really is great!

[AngryAmish]

12. I voted last week. The lack of id was a clusterfuck.

I hardly ever have the same signature. I finally had to look at the exemplar signature to repeat it, after three attempts.

Complete and total clusterfuck.

[Gothmog]

14. Thank you for your service

Being an election job is a hard job. I was a judge during the primary and my youngest will be the head judge of our precinct

[Rhinodawg]

15. VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN !!

[Lee-Lee]

16. How do you handle someone with a disability that changes signature?

Parkinson's, injury to a dominant hand, or even people with inconsistent handwriting?

[RoccoRyg]

19. Just looked through the handbook

If they can not sign their name, we can ask them for their date of birth or the last two digits of their SSN.

[Lee-Lee]

20. Seems reasonable nt

[Iamthetruth]

21. So you don't think

A person can change their signature enough to fool two people not trained in handwriting?

[RoccoRyg]

22. No, I don't.

Who would go through all that trouble and risk prison and fines to commit a crime that doesn't benefit them in any way?

[Iamthetruth]

23. Simple

Because they don't prosecute it.