Looking to participate in the primary elections? Here's how to volunteer

Do you want to work the Cook County presidential primary election on March 19?

The Cook County Clerk’s Office is looking for election judges and polling place technicians to work on election day.

Election Judges

Election judges are poll workers who help manage the polling place they are placed at and to help voters when they have questions. They generally make sure the polling place is running smoothly.

Election judges in Chicago need to arrive at 5 a.m. to help with setting up equipment, open polls at 6 a.m., help run the polling place from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and collect all reports after the polls close.

To serve as an election judge, volunteers must meet these requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be registered to vote in Cook County if 18 or older
• Be able to read, write and speak English

High school students are able to serve as election judges but they must:

• Live in Cook County
• Be a junior or senior
• Have the written approval of the student’s parent or legal guardian
• Have the written approval of the student’s principal
• Have at least a 3.0 GPA

College students can also serve as election judges but must:

• Attend a college or university in Cook County
• Have at least a 3.0 GPA

The Cook County Clerk’s Office is also looking for people to volunteer as election judges that speak English and:

• Spanish
• Chinese
• Hindi
• Korean
• Tagalog
• Polish
• Russian
• Ukrainian
• Gujarati
• Arabic

Those working the election judge position will receive $250.

Polling Place Technician

Polling place technicians are poll workers who help election judges check supplies, check equipment and assist with set-up, maintenance and tear-down of equipment.

Polling place technicians are required to take two hands-on classes that are about 3.5 hours each. There is an open-note and open-book test that follows each class.

Additionally, polling place technicians must take a 1.5 to 2 hour online training.

To serve as a polling place technician, volunteers must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Have a car
• Have a cell phone
• Be either a registered voter or a college student with a 3.0 GPA

Those working as polling place technicians are paid $400.

Looking to vote, not volunteer?

To see NBC’s guide on voting, click here. The guide lets you know where you can go to vote, how to register, who can vote, how to vote by mail and how to receive live election results.