Blog Article
It is that time, again. We are recruiting Election Judges for 2023.
Yes, for the upcoming May 6th Local Election but also to become “appointed judges” through Dallas County Commissioners Court later this summer; something we do every two years. This cycle is important because it sets the roster of anointed judges that will be in place for the 2024 Primary and General Election.
This is important.
Good, trained, and strong Election Judges, both Presiding Judges and Alternate Judges are the "first team" in holding fair and transparent elections in Dallas County. They are the bulwark against malfeasance in the way elections are conducted. They are our frontline and a critical part of the conduct of all elections.
We also have other invaluable resources that greatly help, Poll Watchers and our Election Integrity Committee, but our frontline is our Republican Judges.
Rightly so, there is a lot of current focus on removing black box voting systems from elections. We are leading the charge for this effort. We pray for that day. But until then and even after they are removed, Elections Judges are still needed to conduct honest elections. It is too easy to say, “remove non-transparent machines and all will be good.” No, it won’t. We will always need Republican Election Judges in every Voting Center in Dallas County. There are many ways to cheat in elections and one of the roles of Election Judges is to prevent stealing elections “the old fashion way.”
Election Judges provide oversight of all aspects of election integrity in their Voting Centers.
In one example, we fought long and hard to get good Voter ID laws in Texas and sustain them in the court fights that followed. Texas is even beefing up the security of driver licenses and identity cards as it implements the national “REAL ID Act” which establishes minimum standards for state-issued driver licenses and identification cards. The REAL ID act has been implemented to allow flying within the U.S. and to enter federal buildings. It is being implemented in Texas through our Texas Driver License system. To get or renew a Texas Driver License, one typically must present multiple forms of identification such as:
- An original or certified copy of a Birth Certificate or an unexpired U.S. Passport Book or Card
- Social Security Card
- Current Texas Vehicle Registration or Title
- Current Car Insurance Policy or Car Insurance Statement
- If your name changed, legal documents showing proof of name change from your birth name
With REAL ID, Texas Driver Licenses are not only photo ID (as we fought for) but they now meet the federal minimum standards for true identification. We can now have reason confidence in the identification of voters.
Our Voter ID laws and improved identity documentation make it harder to cheat and insure only citizens are voting. Well, who enforces it? Election judges in Voting Centers.
We fought for Voter ID and we now have to implement its adjudication at the ballot box. Who provides oversight that Voter IDs are actually checked before voters are issued a ballot? Election Judges!
Additionally, who prevents overly-partisan Judges from illegally electioneering voters to vote in certain ways? Republican Election Judges and Alternate Judges!
Also, who maintains order and a safe environment in the polling place? Election Judges!
Plus, there are uncounted things, some small and some big, that Elections Judges do in order to have honest elections.
To repeat myself and risk restating the obvious, Election Judges are our frontline and the bulwark for the conduct of all fair elections.
Being a good Election Judge usually doesn't require confrontation or drama. Most often, the presence of Republican election officers is sufficient to prevent any malfeasance. A good Election Judge has to be observant and speak up when something isn't correct. Merely being present is the first deterrent.
For the last eighteen months, our strategy is to recruit and train enough Presiding Judges and Alternate Judges to have one or more Republican election officials in every Voting Center in Dallas County. We accomplished that goal for the November 8th General Election, for the first time in a long time.
It is time to do it again. We’re building “our bench” and adding depth to our cohort of Election Workers.
Our goal remains the same; put Republican election officers in every Voting Center in Dallas County not just for one election but for all elections.
Join us!
For details, see:
How To Become an Election Judge
We are streamlining the whole process of recruiting and managing judges to get them efficiently scheduled into Voting Centers.
We’re even building a pool of trained and qualified Election Clerks that can be drawn up by our new judges as they build the voting crews for their Voting Centers.
If you wish to join our dedicated band of Election Workers, click on the link below and fill out the online form. Submission of the application starts the ball rolling on our end. Some will contact you to follow up. If you are already in our database, you do NOT need to submit another application.
Apply To Become an Election Worker - Judge, Alternate or Clerk
Our volunteer teams that manage running our Judges, Alternatives and Clerks (JAC) organization are all experienced Presiding Judges and can help you with questions and insights about how the process works.
You will receive training and the roles of Presiding Judges, Alternate Judges and Clerks are all paid positions! You will perform a very valuable civic duty and you will be paid for it!
Also, and very importantly, our Election Worker cohort is one of the major components of building an effective Republican Party in Dallas County. One of the roles of both County Parties (Republicans and Democrats) is to facilitate elections and administer them. Most people don’t fully understand the role of the parties in the Texas Election Code. It begins with the Party and is made operational by the cohort of Elections Judges we field. More Judges and Clerks and better training mean better and cleaner elections.
