Community Corner

Woodbury Election Judge Reflects On Overseeing Voting Process

Debbie Mullen served as an election judge for the fourth time on Tuesday.

Debbie Mullen was manning a table at on Tuesday, serving as an election judge for the fourth time.

She initially got involved as a way to see how the election process worked and make a little extra cash ($10 an hour).

“And free lunch,” she said with a laugh.

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Mullen, of Woodbury, classified herself as an Independent, and said those who appoint election judges like to have people from every political spectrum ensuring the integrity of the procedure.

While Mullen said she enjoys and her fellow election judges, serving in that capacity also connects her with the democratic process.

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“I do feel like a bigger part of it,” she said.

Things were fairly quiet in the Woodbury High School gym on Tuesday, a far cry from the 2008 election, which saw Barack Obama swept into office. There were a lot of people doing same-day registration then, she said.

“We were backed up all day with that one,” Mullen said.

On Tuesday, there were six people lined up at the door at 7 a.m. ready to vote.

“That’s the only time they had to wait,” Mullen said.

In her four times serving as an election judge, Mullen said she hasn’t seen anything too out of the ordinary. Occasionally she has had to ask people to turn off their cell phones or take off campaign buttons.

Mullen, who noted that she doesn’t vote in every election, said she enjoys seeing people bring in their children, who often climb around the legs of the voting booths.

“And they like to have the stickers,” she said.


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