Note to Reader: The following article is about my experience as an election judge on the Ramsey County Elections Absentee Ballot Board. I am not an official representative of Ramsey County Elections. ~~ Publius Jr.
I, Publius Jr, am an Assistant Head Judge in the City of St Paul. I have been serving in this position since the general election in November 2020, and I’ve been an Election Judge since the August Primary of 2018. I won’t tell you where my polling location is but it is inside the City Limits of Saint Paul. It is a paid position. In many cases companies or unions will either compensate an employee for the difference in pay or give an unpaid vacation day off. There is no excuse to not serve as an election judge as a Republican.
It had been a tough year in finding a job in 2020, so when I was asked to serve on the Ramsey County Elections Absentee Ballot Board for $16/hr at 90 Plato Blvd, I signed up right away. Contrary to what you may think, I don’t get paid to admin or write for this website or do the social media. So Monday thru Friday I’m employed at Ramsey County Elections on the Absentee Ballot Board. I have a major party partner to help me do my job of Accepting and Rejecting Absentee Ballots. My partner has declared as a DFL Election Judge. I’ve been paired up with other DFL partners. They are all very nice. I think they like me as I bring homemade cookies once a week.
There are a variety of jobs I can do on the Absentee Ballot Board, from clerical filing, to labeling, stuffing envelopes with instructions and ballots, but mainly I do Accepting and Rejecting Absentee Ballots.
Accepting & Rejecting Ballots on the Basis of Voter Identification
First off, I have to say Rejecting a Ballot does not mean the voter can not vote, it means the Signature Envelope (the envelope you put the ballot envelope that is brown into) does not match the Voter’s Identification number or signature on their application.
A friend called up and asked what a new housemate of theirs should put down for their Identification number on the Absentee Ballot Application, either their Driver’s License number or their Last 4 SSN. My response is write BOTH on their application.
Here are the reasons why to write down Both ID numbers:
- Often it is months between when you apply for an absentee ballot and when you get it. You might forget which ID number you wrote down. By putting both down it doesn’t matter which one you put on the Signature Envelope. If you put down the wrong number and you applied online it will be set aside for scrutiny for election judges to see if there is a record of the other ID number in records.
- If you put down the wrong number but you applied by mail or a paper application, your signature will be on file to compare to the Signature Envelope.
- If you do not put an ID# on the signature envelope and you applied online then it is an automatic rejection.
- Whether online, by mail or in person if there is no signature on the envelope it will be rejected automatically.
Election Judge Preference
Okay the application for an absentee ballot says either your Last 4 Social Security Number (SSN) or your Driver’s License or State ID number (if you do not drive) is required. That is a choice, but Election Judges processing your absentee ballot would prefer a few things to process your ballot quicker and accurately.
- Apply with Both your State ID Number or Driver’s License Number AND your Last 4 SSN.
- Put the Last 4 SSN on your Signature Envelope. Some people think the DL# is more secure but the Last 4 SSN is just as secure. The reason why Election Judges prefer the Last 4 SSN over the DL# s because the latter has a letter plus 12 numbers after it. That is 13 digits to read compared to 4 digits. After about 500 Ballots that’s a range of 6500 digits compared to 2000 with just the Last 4 SSN. We can process more ballots in an hour with fewer numbers to read.
- Write legibly on your ballot. So often voters scribble out their numbers, or the first letter of their Driver’s License or State ID number. Some people have the idea machines read their ballot (this is true of the actual ballot) but on the Signature Envelope the only machine that is used is a bar code scanner to enter the ballot into the SVRS (State Voter Registration System). The rest of the Signature Envelope is READ By Humans. Most team members are wearing their reader glasses and or have a magnifying glass to decipher scribbled numbers and letters.
- Treat the ballot with respect. So often people’s Ballots/Signature Envelopes are folded or ripped, Some have discolorations on the Ballot/Signature Envelope as if they used it to mop up coffee on the table.
- Follow the Instructions to Vote. Voters will use a sharpie or marker to fill out a ballot, sometimes that bleeds through the ballot (this might spoil the ballot). Some Voters often will write a note saying they didn’t follow the Instructions and had to open the signature Envelope and Return Envelope because they forgot to put the ballot in the Brown Security Envelope before they put it into the Signature Envelope.
Rejection of a Ballot Does Not Mean You Can’t Vote but Time is getting short to Return your Ballot to make it Count.
The permanent staff of the Ramsey County Elections say the Ballot needs to be postmarked by 3:00 pm on November 8th in the general election and by the same time on August 9th in the Primary. Ramsey County Elections will not be open to the public on August 9th nor on November 8th, so you can’t vote there.
If you turned your ballot in without a signature or a matching ID # on your Signature Envelope it will be rejected and while you may complain, August 9th is the last day for the Primary Election and November 8th is the last day to vote in the general election. So please pay attention to dates, and follow the instructions that come with your absentee ballot.
If you apply online for an absentee ballot and your ID number on the signature envelope does not match it will automatically be rejected because we can’t check your signature. Requesting your ballot application by mail we can check the signature on the signature envelope as there is a sample of your signature to compare it to. This is why we suggest you put both your last 4 SSN and DL or state ID number on your application whether you apply by mail or online.
UPDATE: 2022 Primary Elections & General Elections going forward you must have a WITNESS on your Signature Envelope of your Absentee Ballot or it will be REJECTED.
Voting in Person is Safe
If it is too late to vote by absentee ballot, the polling locations are perfectly safe to vote at. They are probably more safe than going to your local grocery store to buy food. Hand sanitizers are available, each booth is wiped down after each voter uses it, masks are available to vote. If someone refuses to wear a mask they will not be denied to be able to vote. If you are in line out the door at your polling location at 8pm on August 9th or on November 8th, STAY IN LINE. The Head Judge will have an election judge stand at the end of the line at 8 pm to mark the end of the line, when the end of the line and that election judge enters the building they will lock the door from entry.
There is a Difference Between Mail in Ballots and Absentee Ballots
There is a difference between “Mail in Ballots,” and “Absentee Ballots.” DFLers will tell you there is no difference but as President Trump has said an Absentee Ballot is solicited or asked for by the voter, while a “Mail in Ballot,” is a ballot that is sent out to all the registered or eligible voters in an area whether they want them or not. Mail in Ballots can be “harvested” as the 2020 Project Veritas expose on Rep Ilhan Omar’s alleged illegal voting activity showed. She is misrepresenting what voting is to immigrants and refugees and she is paying them to collect them…allegedly. Absentee Ballots are asked for by Voters and everything is done to make sure they are counted as long as you follow instructions that come with it.
I was right about this but the DFLers at my polling location assignment during the August 2020 Primary were ganging up on me telling me there is not a difference as they are “mailed in.” I know I’m the only Republican there. Which is why more Republicans need to become Election Judges.
This article was first posted on October 23, 2020. I’ve updated it with a fresh date and changed the primary and general election dates in the article as well. ~~ Publius Jr.