Dear Editor, 

On Novemeber 7, 2022 I served as an Election Judge for my local precinct and I encourage you to do the same for the next election. I believe that this was such a valuable experience for me, as someone who is under 18 and isn’t able to vote yet. I was able to see how voting works, see how the election unfolded in real time, and learned to work with people who have different political views than me. Being unable to vote as a minor, you might think you don’t have any way that you can help in the election, but that isn’t true, because as an Election Judge you are able to lend your services for the betterment of the community. Not to mention, if you choose to get paid as opposed to volunteering you earn $17.50/hr, which is a great rate considering most part-time jobs pay around $15/hr. Over my 14-hour day I got to work at multiple stations at the polling location including as a greeter, checking in/registering people to vote, distributing ballots,and handing out the I voted stickers. Overall I really enjoyed my day working as an Election Judge and hope more young people will consider this opportunity to give back to the community.

-Erin Walker