Anne Arundel County is on the clock. With the June 23 primary approaching fast, election officials say they are staring at a major shortage of Republican election judges and need roughly 700 more GOP recruits to meet the state’s bipartisan staffing rules.
The county faces a hard May 23 deadline to assign judges so it can comply with Maryland’s requirement that each polling place be staffed by bipartisan teams. If Republican seats are still empty by then, county staff say they will start filling those spots with applicants from other parties, a move they describe as a backup plan rather than a preference.
“We want to ensure every precinct has the bipartisan oversight the law intends,” David Garreis, director of the county board, said in a news release, according to The Baltimore Banner. The outlet reports the county needs 692 Republican residents to step up as election judges and estimates that 1,964 total election-judge positions must be staffed for the primary.
More than 2,100 people have already applied, but many of them are Democrats or unaffiliated voters. County officials say they have to fully staff 142 polling places for the June 23 primary and will make assignments on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis if Republican sign-ups lag.
How To Sign Up And What It Pays
The Anne Arundel County Board of Elections says election judges must be registered Maryland voters, at least 16 years old with parental permission if under 18, able to speak, read, and write English, and willing to work roughly a 15-hour Election Day shift.
Pay depends on the assignment. Chief judges are paid about $350, most operational roles receive $250, and reserve judges earn $300. There is also a $50 training stipend and a $25 payment for Monday-night setup, and training is mandatory. For full details and to apply, residents are directed to the county’s election-judge information page, as outlined by Anne Arundel County.
Why Finding Republicans Is Tougher
Part of the problem is simply math. Anne Arundel’s voter rolls lean Democratic, which shrinks the available pool of potential Republican judges and makes bipartisan parity at the polls a taller order.
Registration figures list roughly 172,000 registered Democrats and about 129,000 registered Republicans in the county, according to Maryland State Board of Elections data. Local officials point to that imbalance as a key reason they are prioritizing recruitment of GOP volunteers ahead of the June 23 primary.
What Happens If Seats Stay Empty
Maryland law expects bipartisan oversight at polling places, and Anne Arundel leaders are leaning hard on that expectation in their public pitch for Republican judges. The county’s news release warns that if there are not enough Republican applicants by the May 23 assignment deadline, remaining vacancies will be filled with applicants from other parties, as reported by The Baltimore Banner.
Officials say turning to non-GOP volunteers would be a last resort, but they also stress that every polling place must be open and fully staffed on June 23.
Not Just An Anne Arundel Problem
Anne Arundel is not alone in its scramble. Local boards across the region have been sounding similar alarms and, in many cases, are specifically asking for Republican judges to balance out their rosters.
Montgomery County, for example, issued a media advisory calling on registered Republicans to serve during early voting and on primary day, highlighting how election officials across Maryland are racing to lock in staffing well ahead of June 23, according to Montgomery County. Officials say that early sign-ups make scheduling and training smoother and boost the chances that every precinct opens on time with bipartisan oversight in place.
