Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson is encouraging any Jeffco voter who would like to play a more important role in the historic 2008 elections to sign up as an election judge.

"Election judges work at the precinct polling places on Election Day. They are your neighbors, your friends and the lynchpin of our elections," said Anderson. "We're looking for people who want to play a bigger role beyond the ballot box to assist us in facilitating democracy."

Jefferson County needs to hire close to 1,000 election judges for the Primary Election on Aug. 12 and up to 1,800 for the Presidential Election on Nov. 4. The pay is $130-140 a day, depending on duties. Judges must attend a training session to prepare them for Election Day service.

Applications are now being accepted. Applications are being sent in the mail to registered voters as part of a 2008 voter information card, are also available at www.votejeffco.com, or by calling (303) 271-8111.

High School students are encouraged to apply for student election judge positions to gain invaluable experience during the 2008 Presidential Election year. A student judge must be 16 or 17 years of age and a Junior or Senior in a public or private school, or equivalent if home schooled. Participation as a student judge can give students a first-hand look at how elections are conducted. In some cases, the Student Election Judge Program may be used for community service credit, or as a fundraiser for extracurricular activity groups such as athletic programs or clubs.

For more information, please contact the Clerk and Recorder's Elections Division at (303) 271-8111. You may also visit www.votejeffco.com for more information.