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Election Judge Training 

Sign up for your training

Elections & Voter Services has a new website that allows election judges to schedule their own training. Once you are assigned to work as an election judge, unique login credentials will be sent to you by e-mail to log into the Election Worker Portal.

Training Location

  • Training is held at Minneapolis City Hall - Room 107, 350 S. 5th St., Minneapolis 55415. It is located in a large, open room to allow for more hands-on equipment training.
  • Both Blue Line and Green Line light rail trains stop in front of City Hall - Government Plaza Station.
  • Training takes place is Room 107, located in the northeast corner of City Hall on the first floor (entry floor from 5th St., one floor up from 4th St.).
  • Bus access is also available via many downtown routes. See MetroTransit for more information on bus routes or call 612-373-3333.
  • Nearby parking ramps are available, as well as limited street parking around City Hall.
  • With major work ongoing on I-35W, access to downtown may be more complicated than usual.  Aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before class is scheduled so we can begin on time.

Training Materials

NEW: Helping a voter in the voting booth

We have new guidance from the Hennepin County Election Office about voter assistance in polling places.

If a voter comes with an assistant who will join the voter in the booth, the ballot judge will ask them to review some basic rules on this laminated document. The new process provides greater clarity for voters and their assistants. This process replaces the ‘Voter Assistance Tracking Sheet,’ which will no longer be included in your election materials.

NEW: What voters can wear in the polling place

On June 14, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, a case regarding what voters can wear inside the polling place.

Read this memo to learn what the case means for voters in this year's election.

RSVP to attend poll book practice session

Stop by Minneapolis City Hall - Room 107 to get additional practice checking-in and registering voters on the poll books. This is a voluntary (unpaid) opportunity to get additional practice right before Election Day.

  • Availability is first-come, first served. There will be approximately 30 poll books available for practice at a time. If more than 30 individuals come at once, there may be a wait. You do not have to stay for the entirety of your time slot. 
     
  • Please RSVP to see specific times and dates, and to let us know you are coming!

FAQs

Does a ballot count if a voter made a mistake of it?
When a voter makes a ballot marking error, an error screen appears on the ballot tabulator screen to let the voter and the ballot tabulator station judge know what kind of error was made. If the "Cast" option is chosen on the screen, the race where the ballot marking error was made will not be counted. Votes made in the other races of the ballot will still be counted. During a partisan primary race, if a cross party vote is made, no votes within the partisan races on the ballot will be counted.

Do you need to be a resident of the precinct, or just the state, for 20 days prior to Election Day?
You just need to have been a resident of Minnesota for 20 days prior to the election.

What documentation do I need when someone is re-registering in the same precinct?
When a registered voter has changed names and/or moved within the same precinct, they do need to re-register. The voter's existing registration record serves as their proof of residence.

Is it too late for a new judge to get involved?
Generally, it is too late to get signed up for training within 20 days of the upcoming election. But there is always the next election!

What are voters allowed to wear in the polling place now?
In the past, voters could not wear clothing items or accessories that had political or campaign messages on them. After a recent supreme court ruling, it is now the case that voters are able to wear political clothing and accessories. However, no campaign materials for anything on the ballot of the election at hand may be displayed within the buffer zone or polling place. Voters are not allowed to wear anything that displays: 1) Items with the name or insignia of a political party or party principle that has candidates on the ballot at the current election. 2) Items with the name of a candidate on the ballot at the current election. 3) Items in support of or in opposition to a ballot question on the ballot at the current election.

What are judges allowed to wear in the polling place?
There is no formal dress code for election judges, please dress comfortably. However, election judges are not allowed to wear political or campaign related attire.

Where do I find a voucher's voter ID number?
If a voter is being vouched for by a pre-registered voter, you can find that voucher's voter ID number on their record in the greeters list, by looking them up in a poll book, or by looking at their signature certificate if they have already voted.

Does a voter who has completed a felony sentence need to show their paperwork?
No. At no point does a voter who has or has had a felony need to show election judges their paperwork.

Are college students living in student housing eligible to vote?
You should register to vote from the address you currently consider home. For many students, this is likely a school address or a parent’s house. If you still go back to visit but no longer consider your parent's house your home, then you should register to vote where you live at school.

Do you need to show an ID if you have a yellow receipt for a new or updated Minnesota license?
No. If showing us their yellow receipt, a voter does not have to provide an additional photo ID. 

In the pollbook, do you need to note what state the ID is from?
No, you only need to enter in the ID number into the poll book.

Resources for bilingual election judges

If you are serving as an election judge and are fluent in a language other than English, the team in your polling place will be counting on you to support voters in your polling place that have need for assistance in the language that you know.

Before Election Day, in addition to reviewing materials you've received in training, it's a good idea to check out our Language Support Page and read the documents that are translated into the language(s) that you know. This will give you an opportunity to practice with election terminology in each of those languages. 

You can also listen to pre-recorded voter instructions below that have been translated into the following languages. 

Primary election script

  • Here is your ballot. There are races on both sides of the ballot. The front is a partisan primary ballot. That means you can only vote for candidates in one of the two columns. Completely fill in the oval next to the candidate’s name of your choice. If you make a mistake, bring the ballot back here to get a new ballot. When you are done, bring your ballot to the ballot counter. You can vote at any of those booths over there. We also have a machine that can mark the ballot for you.
     
  • Hmong (for Primary Election)
  • Somali (for Primary Election)
  • Spanish (for Primary Election)

General election script

  • Here is your ballot. There are races on both sides of the ballot. Completely fill in the oval next to the candidate’s name of your choice. If you make a mistake, bring the ballot back here to get a new ballot. When you are done, bring your ballot to the ballot counter. You can vote at any of those booths over there. We also have a machine that can mark the ballot for you.