Program trains teens to be election judges, boost election participation

Coreon Collins was out of the house before 5 a.m., walking along the Alameda en route to her polling precinct because nothing was going to make her late for her first time as an election judge. Call it nervous energy.

Collins stood out from the rest of the dozen judges that day: She was just 15 years old.

She took Baltimore Votes’ Student Election Judge Program training, a youth-run initiative that recruits students — some in high school — who have registered to vote to become election judges working alongside adults at voting precincts.

Four years ago, Baltimore was in need of 700 election workers, a long-standing issue that gave rise to the idea to recruit high school- and college-age students to become election judges. The program finds applicants (mostly through word-of-mouth recruitment via other student members), registers them to vote and connects them with the city’s Board of Elections, which trains them to become judges.

There have been three cycles, producing 120 youth election judges in 2024.

There are four types of election judges who do everything from opening and closing polling precincts to checking and signing voter authority cards and watching activity around scanning units. Chief judges complete a variety of tasks, including showing voters how to use machines and review sample ballots, making calls to the local election office and posting vote totals.

Misti McKeehen, the facilitator with Baltimore Votes, has worked in precincts that have been so understaffed that election judges couldn’t take a lunch break.

“It makes it really, really hard to just administer the election and keep things going,” she said.

Nadia Robinson recruited 10 classmates to get trained and work as election judges for the 2024 presidential election.

Most of the other judges were in their 60s. She was 16 at the time, but they treated her as an equal.

“I think I actually rotated everything,” she said, including checking voters in and helping them cast provisional ballots.

“The younger that somebody is engaged in this type of work and educated about this work, the more likely they are to continue doing it throughout their life and the less intimidated they’ll be when it comes time for them to vote,” said Robinson, now an 18-year-old student at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

To become an election judge this cycle, participants must be registered to vote and complete a 3.5-hour hands-on training to learn everything from the rules and procedures of election administration to setting up and running polling sites. They must serve the full day of the primary June 23.

Participants are paid $50 for training and $250 for working on election day.

Adelaide Habela, 17, completed the training last weekend at Mount Pleasant Church and was surprised by some rules.

“You can’t even touch a ballot, even if it’s enclosed in a privacy seal. The person has to do it themselves,” the City College junior said. “If they want to change anything, they have to do it.”

Habela is eager to put her new knowledge to use.

“I feel good. I obviously can’t vote, but I do want to make my change,” she said. “And I think helping other people and encouraging them to vote is something that I can do to make a positive change.”

Young people remain underrepresented in elections.

Less than half — 47% — of people ages 18-29 cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, a nonpartisan, independent organization. About two-thirds of all registered voters cast a ballot in 2024.

In 2024, whites had the highest youth voter turnout (55%), followed by Asian (43%), Black (34%) and Latino (32%) youth, according to CIRCLE.

Making sure that young voters know their voices are heard is key for James McLaughlin, a 17-year-old senior at Gilman. He was a member of Baltimore Votes’ six-member Student Advisory Board. He works as an intern for Baltimore Votes and helps to oversee the election judge program.

“I think the beauty is that we approach things from a completely nonpartisan perspective. And so our goal is to promote voting and to encourage people to vote,” he said.

Collins jumped at the chance to serve as an election judge in 2024. Voting brings her joy, she said, and she wanted an up-close view as Kamala Harris tried to become the first woman president.

“It makes me happy just knowing you can make a change,” she said.

Although she does not want to pursue a career in politics — she wants to study special education and become a teacher — Collins said she will continue to work as an election judge, including the June 23 primary.