On February 11, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally testified before the Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 586 – Election Law – Election Judges – Compensation.
This bill ensures election judges receive training compensation only if they serve on Election Day or during early voting. The bill also expands opportunities for student participation by allowing public school students to earn service-learning credit while receiving election judge pay, removing an unnecessary restriction that limits recruitment.
Counties rely on qualified election judges to staff polling places and ensure smooth election administration. Current law requires counties to pay election judges for completing training, even if they fail to serve. As such, local boards expend limited public funds on individuals who do not fulfill their role, creating staffing shortages and unnecessary costs. This bill remedies this issue by ensuring election judges complete at least one day of service before receiving training pay, which promotes accountability and improves election workforce reliability.
HB 586 provides a commonsense solution that supports efficient election operations, reduces wasteful spending, promotes civic engagement, and enhances recruitment efforts. For these reasons, MACo urges a FAVORABLE report on HB 586.
HB 586’s cross-file, SB 534, was heard on February 26 in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. Kevin Kinnally testified in support of this bill.
SB 534 was heard in the opposite chamber, the Ways and Means Committee, on March 25. MACo submitted written testimony in support of this bill.
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