It was barely a week ago that local election directors were saying they were desperate for judges to staff polling places. Now, they say they aren’t quite so desperate, but they still could use some help. Nikki Charlson, deputy administrator of the state Board of Elections, says there are still a few local boards looking for a couple hundred election judges, but at least they have enough to open all the polling places on Nov. 8, Election Day.

“Some might not be as fully staffed as everyone would like,” Charlson warned. “So we ask that voters be patient when they arrive to vote.”

Local boards of elections are experiencing what employers across our country are struggling with right now; it's hard to connect with workers. The biggest problems are in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties where local boards are looking for between 200 and 300 more judges, she said.

And the needs are localized, she added. In Baltimore County, for example, most of the vacancies are on the eastern side of the county polling places.

“We're looking for people who either are living in Eastern Baltimore County or are willing to travel there for election day,” she said. “That’s where the need is greatest.”

There’s high demand for election judges in northern and western parts of Anne Arundel County too, she said.

All three local boards have scheduled training sessions over the weekend, so there’s still time to sign up and get trained, she said. The job is paid: $200 a day for a regulation judge, $250 for a chief judge.

The Baltimore City board of election was harshly criticized by Baltimore City Council leaders at a recent hearing for the flaws during the gubernatorial primary in July after a judge shortage prompted a slew of issues. On Election Day, Baltimore City expects to pay police overtime to collect and transport flash drives from polling locations to the central warehouse due to a shortage of election workers.