Running to run elections
Philadelphia needs citizens to step up and support their neighborhoods by running for judge and inspector of election so they can operate neighborhood polling places, writes Seth Bluestein.
With the 2024 General Election completed and certified, people often ask me, a member of the Philadelphia Board of Elections, “What are you doing for the next four years?” The answer is simple — in Philadelphia, and all throughout Pennsylvania, elections are held at least twice a year, every year.
On May 20, 2025, Philadelphians will head to the polls to cast their vote in primaries highlighted by local races for City Controller and District Attorney, as well as nominating candidates to serve the commonwealth as judges — including Municipal Court, Common Pleas Court, and Superior Court.
The 2025 primaries also provide a chance for Philadelphians to get directly involved in the electoral process.
At the bottom of the ballot this spring, there will be two incredibly important races for carrying out the essential function of American democracy: judge of election and inspector of election.
These are the local officials who check in voters on election day, set up the voting machines, and make sure that our elections continue to function at the local level. In running for these offices you can answer the call to ask not what Philadelphia can do for you, but what you can do for Philadelphia.
Each of our 1,703 voting divisions needs at least five poll workers: the judge of election, a majority and minority inspector, a clerk, and a machine inspector. While the last two positions are appointed, the others are elected by voters in each and every division across the city.
Candidates nominated for judge and inspector run in the November general election, where the top vote-getter for Inspector is elected as majority inspector and the candidate with the second-most votes becomes minority inspector. These local elected officials will serve for the next four years, making sure that all our elections run smoothly.
Philadelphia needs citizens to step up and support their neighborhoods by running for judge and inspector of election so they can operate their own polling places for the benefit of their family, friends, and neighbors. Our city only thrives when our communities are strongly represented by their elected officials, and no offices are more local than poll workers.
Unfortunately, in recent years many of these positions have gone unfilled, requiring the city commissioners to recruit people to fill the vacant seats.
To fill these more than 5,100 jobs four years ago, just over 1,400 candidates ran in the spring primary, leaving a large gap in our ability to fully staff these positions. It’s important to note that this isn’t merely a volunteer position. Poll workers in Philadelphia receive $200 for each election they work, and can earn training stipends before each election as well.
I got my own start in public service as an inspector of election while a freshman at Penn. It was a wonderful opportunity to serve my fellow students and help ensure their voices were heard. This is a call for Philadelphians to do the same and serve their neighbors by filling all of the more than 5,100 elected poll worker positions for the upcoming term.
It’s an opportunity to show up for your community and preserve the civic right and responsibility of voting.
Seth Bluestein currently serves as city commissioner, one of three members of the Philadelphia Board of Elections. Prior to serving as comissioner, Seth was chief deputy commissioner for now Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt.