As a means to help students become more connected to the U.S. electoral process, the Cook County Clerk’s office partners with more than 80 high schools across the county to form the Student Election Judge program.

“By working directly in elections, students become more informed about voting procedures and the importance of elections in their community,” Cook County Clerk’s Office Director of Communications Frank Herrera said.

Students who are involved in the program will be responsible for setting up and taking down the polling place, checking in voters, handing out and processing ballots, and helping administer the voting process, Herrera said. They are expected to arrive at the polling place before 5 a.m. and stay until the precinct closes and the votes are all counted and sent in—potentially as late as 9 p.m.

“[This program] seemed like a really good opportunity since I am already interested in politics, and I’ll be able to be behind the scenes of the actual election day process,” Student Election Judge participant Maeve Charlton ‘26 said.

In order to become a Student Election Judge, students must have completed and passed a training course run by the Clerk’s Office, Charlton said. Throughout these course sessions, which lasted about two to three hours each, students learned how to use voting machines and practiced what they would be doing on Election Day.

“With hands-on trainers and experienced judges to guide you through the process, we set our judges up for success,” Herrera said.

The amount of students involved in the program varies each year, with a much higher participation rate during general presidential elections as compared to gubernatorial or local consolidated elections, Herrera said. The past two presidential elections—in 2020 and 2016—saw approximately 1,200 high school students working as judges on Election Day. For many of these students, like Charlton, this will be their first experience at the polls.

“I hope to gain a new perspective on the democratic system of the U.S.,” Charlton said.  “It [will] also [be] useful because now I’ll know what to do when it comes time for me to vote.”

Hererra, who writes social media posts, flyers, and press releases to attract attention to the program, also believes that it will help Student Election Judges better understand what exactly it takes to make a democracy work. 

“So many things in our lives span from who we choose to help run our community, state, and nation,” Herrera said. “From school funding, pothole repair, taxes, and more. It’s important [that] we have engaged and educated judges willing to propel our elections forward with safety, security, efficiency, and advocacy.”