High School Judges

The Rockford Board of Elections conducts a program whereby high school seniors 17 years of age may become judges of election. The program is conducted through the Rockford public and private high schools.

High school seniors, who are 17 years old, have a 3.0 or better average in a 4.0 system of grading, are United States citizens and have permission from the school principal and their parents, may work through their school to become an election judge.

Our office sends a request to each high school before every election. The schools respond with the names of interested students. Attendance at a training class of 4 hours is then arranged with each student.

The program is authorized by the Illinois election code and students who take part are not marked absent the day they serve as election judges. It is a paying position and a great way to learn more about the election process.

Every election, approximately, 20 students benefit from their experiences on Election Day. It is an extremely important service they are performing for their community. We have found that students quickly understand the procedures and are of great assistance to the other judges in their polling places.

We very much appreciate the students who have worked in the past and anticipate the privilege of working with many more seniors.

Students who will be 18 years of age by election day may, also, be election judges, but do not fall into this category. An 18-year-old must be a registered voter and, if a student, should have permission from his/her parents to miss the day of school.

To find out more about the duties of election judges click here.