CODY - Park County Clerk Kelly Jensen is looking for a few good men - preferably gentlemen in their 30s who are registered Democrats.

"In Park County, we use between 200 and 230 different people in each election, in addition to the staff we have," Jensen said of election judges, volunteers who are paid a small stipend to monitor elections and help check in and process voters.

"And it's hard to find Democrats to be election officials in Park County," she told a group of business owners Monday.

The Help America Vote Act, a federal law enacted after the disputed 2000 presidential election, requires county clerks to recruit a pool of election judges who reflect the demographic make-up of the community, Jensen said.

In Park County, where a large portion of election judges are Republican women over 65, some precincts lack any Democratic judges, and male judges from any party are in short supply, said Virginia Livingston, elections clerk for Park County.

Though there is no election scheduled in Park County this November, Jensen and Livingston are speaking to business owners and civic groups in an effort to recruit more judges, particularly young men who are registered Democrats.

"We have a fabulous group of judges who have been doing this for very many years, and they�ve been doing a great job, but there is no one coming up behind them," said Jensen, elected in 2006 as an independent.

There have been no serious disputes arising from the preponderance of judges from one party, but because rules state that machine malfunctions or other glitches should be witnessed and resolved by judges from all major parties, a lack of Democratic judges in some precincts has caused complications and delays, Livingston said.

Judges receive two hours of training and are expected to serve from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on primary and general election days. They are paid $120, plus a $30 meal allowance.

Judges serve because they are passionate about the democratic process, and because many of them enjoy the social function of reconnecting with old friends on Election Day, Jensen said.

But some judges who have served for many years have said they may not return for the next election, as the process has become more complicated and demanding with election-day registration, heavy absentee voting and other factors, she said.

Jensen is looking for help from business owners who can spare employees, particularly younger voters who might not otherwise have the day off.

A new state law allowing judges to serve in shifts, rather than requiring a commitment for the full 12 hours, may also attract younger judges, she said.