Cole County raising the salary for election judges

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo (KMIZ)

Cole County election judges will see a pay increase starting with the August election, marking the county's first wage increase for these workers since 2019.

Previously, Cole County election judges made $120 per day along with $15 for training. But under a newly appointed plan, judges will now receive $210 per day with a mileage reimbursement of $0.70 after the first 10 miles driven.

Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer said the push for a pay increase began with an election judge sending him a letter pointing out it had been nearly seven years since their last raise.

“We took it to the commission about minimum wage, and they approved it," Korsmeyer said. "It was awesome."

This raise nearly doubles their daily pay, and Korsmeyer said that election judges work nearly 14-hour shifts on Election Day, making the boost a necessary step to fairly compensate them for their time.

“They do put in a full day; they work 14 hours a day," you know, Korsmeyer said. "So it is a long day for them. So I’m sure it’ll be a welcome relief for them.”

This raise is expected to increase Cole County's election judge budget for the August election to between $30,000 and $31,000. This is a significant increase from their typical $18,000 to $19,000 budget. Funding for elections is shared by the state, the county and local cities.

Despite the increase in budget, Korsmeyer said the change won't negatively impact the county's overall budget.

"It really doesn't affect our budget any," Korsmeyer said. "We can move some money around."

Right now, Korsmeyer said there are no staffing concerns and expects 143 judges to be working for the August elections. He does say that he anticipates this increase encouraging people to sign up to become an election judge.

“With the salary increase, who knows? Maybe we'll get more people wanting to fill out applications and stuff, which will be great," Korsmeyer said.

The pay raise brings Cole County closer to Boone County, which has gradually increased its election judge wages over the years.

In Boone County, election judges earn a base rate of $170 per day with an additional $50 for training. Election judge supervisors earn a base of $200 per day.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said the county occasionally bumps pay higher during major elections when the polling places are busier.

Cole County is expecting to use 143 judges in August's election and Boone County plans to use between 300 and 350 judges.

The difference in staffing also reflects a difference in the budget size.

While Cole Counties election judge budget is roughly $30,000, Boone County's estimated budget for all of the August election is between $300,000 and $400,000.

Lennon said the budget discrepancies exist because Cole County has fewer polling locations, which requires fewer staff members.

Both Clerks agreed that compensating election judges is vital to maintaining a strong voting system locally, and fair to compensate workers for the long hours they put in.

“I don’t think that there is any number out there that you can say, well, this is a fair amount to work on election day because there’s a lot that happens and we’re throwing our election judges into a very long day," Lennon said.

Cole County election judges will formally be notified of the pay increase during their upcoming poll worker training sessions ahead of the August eleciton.