‘Nothing has worked;’ Champaign Co. election officials speak on judge shortage, polling place shutdowns

Jack Krumm
·2 min read

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Champaign County is experiencing a shortage of election judges, and the effects are starting to take shape.

The county needed 232 judges for the primary election, but County Clerk Aaron Ammons said his office’s outreach to the community for more judges fell short.

“Not enough. You know, there would be a few people every now and then, we’ve sent emails to the entire list, trying to get even the judges to recruit other people,” Ammons said. “But nothing has worked enough to give us the judges that we need.”

As a result of this shortage, 15 polling sites will not be opening on Election Day:

  • Bible Baptist Church – 4001 W. Kirby Avenue in Champaign

  • Bresnan Meeting Center – 706 Kenwood Road in Champaign

  • Curtis Road Church of God – 2604 Curtis Road in Champaign

  • Douglass Center Annex – 804 N. Fifth Street in Champaign

  • East Bend Township Building – 9 Main Street in Dewey

  • UIUC Florida Avenue Residence Hall – 1001 W. College Court in Urbana

  • Hessel Park Christian Reformed Church – 700 W. Kirby Avenue in Champaign

  • Illini Hillel – 503 E. John Street in Champaign

  • UIUC Illinois Street Residence Hall – 1010 W. Illinois Street in Urbana

  • Ivesdale Fire Station – 406 3rd Street in Ivesdale

  • Pesotum Community Building – 103 E. Lincoln Street in Pesotum

  • Philo Town Hall – 104 S. Harrison Street in Philo

  • Plumbers’ and Pipefitters’ Local 149 – 1005 N. Dunlap Avenue in Savoy

  • River Valley Church of Christ – 19 Owlcreek Lane in Fisher

  • Stanton Township Building & Town Hall – 2103 County Road 2100E in St. Joseph

What happens if voters in Illinois elect a dead candidate?

Ammons said the lack of judges stems back to 2018. A combination of political polarization, lack of new participation and the pandemic weighed heavily on the efforts to get new volunteers.

“We needed 111 Democrats. We have 112. We needed 115 Republicans, but we only have 66,” Ammons said. “[Democrats] are meeting the threshold and the Republicans are not even close.”

Susan Mantell, the Election Operation Chair of the county Republican Party, said the concerns go beyond just election judges. With polling sites shutting down, she’s worried about getting her party’s voters to the polls.

“The places that will be closed would be rural centers. And a lot of our rural voters don’t want to go into Champaign to vote. Some of them never leave their homes,” she said. “It would really disenfranchise those voters to have to leave their homes.”

Despite the 15 closures outlined above, there will still be 51 polling places open for voting throughout the county. Ammons stressed that voters can cast their ballots at any polling place, regardless of their “precinct” location, as the polling places are universal to registered Champaign County voters.

A full list of polling places that will be open can be found on the Champaign County Clerk’s website.

Both Ammons and Mantell agree that early voting is a key to offset some of the issues. Early voting is open until March 19, which is Election Day.

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