Election judges can expect a longer day
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Election judges who plan to staff polling stations next Tuesday in Ramsey County will be required to work a full 15-hour shift.
In previous years, the county allowed the judges to work a half-shift. But this year, the 1,150 appointed judges will be required to work from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day.
Elections manager Joe Mansky said his office decided to change the rules this year because it couldn't afford to train two people for every open position.
"We simply don't have the resources -- either the time or the staff -- to do all the training required to appoint that many more judges who would then work part-time," Mansky said.
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Some would-be judges have canceled their commitments after learning of the extended hours.
But Mansky said for the first time in recent memory, the number of election judges in the county has exceeded the number of available positions.
Typically, the county doesn't have enough applicants.
Elections officials are expecting record voter turnout for this year's presidential race. Mansky said his office has worked to diversify its election pool, with many younger judges, minorities and bilingual people now in the mix.
