There has been a fair amount recently written here a DKos about our very important upcoming state Supreme Court race up in 2021, and how keeping the State Supremes in Democratic control is a key defense for election integrity and against gerrymandering for the next decade. Your vote is immensely needed, so don’t sit this one out.
What has NOT gotten much attention, unfortunately, are the hyper-local races for Judge of Elections and Inspector, which are elected at the precinct or ‘division’ level, i.e. the place you vote.
The amount of vitriol, threats and intimidation election workers have been under is undeniable. I would go dig up more links to examples, but I’ll leave that to you. This is a quick hit diary I just want to throw out there since time is of the essence. These attacks on election workers have caused many folks to retire, stop volunteering and shy away from helping run free and fair elections.
Add on top the fact that many election workers at the grassroots level are senior citizens who are at the greatest risk of serious complications from COVID, and the result is many many vacancies for these critical positions.
And guess what? They are all up for election in 2021. These are the folks who will be serving during the 2022 midterms AND the 2024 presidential election. We need these roles filled!
Judge of Elections is the top position for your local precinct. This person is responsible for enforcing and deciding on issues raised throughout the day as voters come through the station.
Inspector is a funny role, because there are actually 2 of them, minority and majority inspector. One person from each party will join the Judge of Elections in verifying and recording voter information as they arrive. Even in the reddest of precincts, having an active Democrat in the minority Inspector can keep things honest. I would go into a long list of shenaningans I have heard of in some Republican leaning precincts, but again, use your imagination or www.google.com to fill in the blanks since I’m pressed for time and…
Most importantly at this late date, assuming you did not get your name on the ballot during the Pennsylvania primaries last spring, you will need to run a write-in campaign to win one of these roles. The good news is, you can probably win with only a handful of votes, perhaps even less than the number of signatures you would have needed to get on the primary ballot!
Ask your partner/spouse, roommate and a neighbor or two to write your name in (accurately and with the same spelling), and you are likely to win one of these two positions.
My advice? If there is a Dem on the ballot for Judge of Elections, support them! If either position does not have a Dem nominee, target that role. If you are in a particularly republican precinct, my advice is to run for Inspector, because that is almost a guaranteed win with only a vote or 2. You won’t be majority inspector, rather the minority inspector, and you will have a seat at the table.
Please, we need your help. Now is the time if you want to be involved in and trained for 2022 and 2024. Step up. Have our backs. Thank you.