ST. ANN, Mo.—Election officials from across the St. Louis region came together Tuesday to make a joint appeal for help staffing polling places for this year’s elections, hoping to grow a pool of candidates who will need to be roughly 5,000 strong by the November general election.

Representatives from election authorities in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County said the need isn’t acute ahead of the municipal election in April which typically have lower turnout. But they’re looking to get people in the pipeline now, so they can get the experience under their belt.

What You Need To Know

  • You must be 18 years old or older to be an election judge, although election authorities do have partnerships that allow high school students between the ages of 15-17 to serve in assistant roles

  • Election judges do need to be registered voters with a declared party affiliation

  • Pay ranges from $200-300 around the St. Louis region and includes mandatory training before an election day. State law allows election judges to work across county boundaries

  • You must have transportation to your assigned polling place and be ready to work starting at 5 a.m. for the duration of an election day

“If you are interested in being a poll worker but you are concerned of starting the first time and a really busy election, then sign up and work in April where it’s a little bit slower, a little bit easier and you’ll get to see the full process get to feel more comfortable so that when it becomes a bigger election, busier turnout you know what you’re doing and what to expect,” said St. Charles County Elections Director Kurt Bahr.

State law requires polling places to be staffed by registered Democrats and Republicans. A relatively recent change in state law allows any registered Missouri voter to work on elections anywhere in the state, meaning a Democrat in the city of St. Louis can work as an election judge in more Republican-heavy St. Charles County, and vice versa.

“There are always two people and typically four or more working together and everything is done in a bipartisan manner so we ensure the integrity of the election process,” said Gary Stoff, the Republican Director of Elections for the city of St. Louis.

In the St. Louis area, pay for election workers is between $200-300 for a mandatory training session and then availability for the duration of an election day. They’re expected to help set up polling locations, greet voters, verify voter registration and issue ballots.

Officials say it’s also a great way for skeptics to see the process up close.

“If you’re one of those folks that maybe has had some doubts in recent years about how elections work, there is no better way to ensure that everything works properly than to sign up to be a poll worker where you’ll be on the front lines of Democracy. It’s where the rubber meets the road,” said Eric Fey, the Democratic Director of the St. Louis County Board of Elections..

“In every case of somebody who has had doubts about the integrity of elections that have signed up to be a poll worker, they go away from that experience with a renewed sense of optimism about how our system works so it really gives you a front line view of the security and safety of our elections,” he said.

Become an election judge in the city of St. Louis

Become an election judge in St. Charles County

Become an election judge in St. Louis County