Election Judges Facilitate Democracy

Upper School students reported to polling places around the city as election judges putting civic purpose into practice.

Upper School History teacher Andy Bigelow helped connect 42 of Parker’s juniors and seniors with the Chicago Board of Elections for the opportunity to be election judges this season. Since 2018, Bigelow estimates that more than 300 of his students have assisted as election judges at the polls during Chicago elections—and he is proud of each and every one of them for doing what they can to live up to the school’s mission to “...think and act with empathy, courage, and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.”

While onsite, election judges handled a wide variety of tasks, ranging from setting up voting equipment to answering questions, tabulating precinct totals, and more. Some judges even served in their own home precincts! Reflecting upon their experience, one student shared, “Election judging was a surprisingly hectic and demanding job (at least at my precinct), but in the end, it was rewarding to help people exercise their right to vote.” Another shared, “For me, the experience was extremely fulfilling and it taught me about how complicated and interesting our democracy truly is.”

Parker is truly proud of these students and thankful to Bigelow for facilitating such a rewarding experience.