Sangamon Co. election judges prepare for Election Day

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — There is less than a month left until Election Day and election officials are hard at work ensuring an effective and accurate voting experience. In Sangamon County, that means gathering a staff of over 800 election judges, 100 registrars, and almost 200 support personnel.

"Election judges are the actual most important person of the day, they are physically facilitating the opportunity for the for the presents themselves and the opportunity to cast a ballot," said Sangamon County Clerk, Don Gray. "They validate the signatures and make sure that all tabulation equipment and poll booths are operating well and that all the equipment is in order."

In Sangamon County, each polling location has 5 election judges, divided according to the party lines of the precinct. For example, in a majority-Republican precinct, there will be 3 Republican judges and 2 Democrat judges. If there is ever a situation where a judge is unsure about the validity of someone's signature, all of the judges will look at it to determine if it matches.

These officials also help ensure that election day runs smoothly so that results can be reported quickly. They confirm ballots and return data sticks to the Sangamon County building once polls are closed so results can be compiled and reported.

"We authenticate all the data returned and we upload those results to the public through our reporting system website of the evening in Sangamon County, when all 100% of our precincts report and voting is concluded," said Gray. "Those results then are sent to the State Board of Elections and then obviously the other 102 counties combined together determines that result of statewide federal elections."

If you have any issues while voting or concerns over the voting process, you should report them to your election judge.