MANKATO — As the 2026 election season begins, the Blue Earth County Elections Office is recognizing Help America Vote Day on Tuesday.
The observance is a national day of action established by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to encourage people to help America vote by signing up to be an election judge.
The goal of Help America Vote Day is to address the critical shortage of election judges, strengthen democracy, and inspiring greater civic engagement and volunteerism, according to a county news release.
In 2024, Blue Earth County had more than 300 election judges at 24 voting locations.
The county encourages more people to become election judges and be the face of elections in their communities. Any Minnesota resident who is at least 16 years old can file an application to become an election judge.
Some of the many duties include setting up and tearing down a polling location, greeting and registering voters, demonstrating how to vote and providing ballots, overseeing ballot-counting machines, assisting voters as needed, and compiling precinct voter statistics at the end of the day.
Election judges will work either full or part days on Tuesday, Aug. 11, and Tuesday, Nov. 3, with additional days leading up to the election possible.
Election judges are overseen and supported by local election officials, who also provide training in advance of Election Day. Election judges receive compensation for their service and their training time.
While Tuesday has been dubbed National Help America Vote Day, Blue Earth County is always seeking election judges. If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning more or wishes to fill out an application, visit blueearthcountymn.gov/elections or call (507) 304-4341.