Champaign Co. Clerk urges early voting for IL Primary amid election judge shortage

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Champaign County's Clerk encourages voters to cast their ballot where ever they can and early in spite of there being an election judge shortage for Illinois Primary.
  • Photo: (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

CHAMPAIGN – In Illinois, the number of people signing up to serve as election judges for the March 19th primary has dropped. As a result, Champaign County will have 15 fewer polling locations available this year.

This decline has raised concerns among officials, including Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, who fear that fewer election judges could lead to longer lines at polling places.

Speaking with Illinois Public Media’s politics reporter David Pierce, Ammons highlighted that the majority of election judges are older individuals. These judges are increasingly worried about the risks of COVID-19 exposure and the possibility of facing threats given the current political climate.

“Politics is so polarized now,” Ammons said. “Election officials being threatened and followed home. All [matters] of things taking place.”

Despite these challenges, voters in Champaign County will still have access to over 50 voting locations. Ammons advises residents to take advantage of the multiple locations and to vote early.

A full list of Champaign County polling locations is available here.

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David Pierce

David Pierce is a content creator for TV, radio, and digital platforms, with a focus on politics and culture. He is the producer of a feature series called “Voice of the Voter”, where young people express their views on the importance of the 2024 election, the issues they believe are affecting them, and their concerns about democracy. In the Fall of 2024, he is set to produce a documentary on the University of Illinois’ “Project 500”, an affirmative action program that was initiated following the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. David earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2017. He returned to Champaign-Urbana in 2020 to take on the roles of producer and reporter at Fox Illinois. Earlier in his career, David produced his own show, “The Intellekt,” which was broadcast on YouTube. The show also aired on the online news outlet Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV). He covered popular culture events, such as the Chicago Auto Show and the grand opening of the world’s largest Starbucks, highlighting their impact on the residents of Chicago.