Suburban Chicago election judge dies while serving on Election Day: officials

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. - A McHenry County election judge died while serving on Election Day, according to the McHenry County Clerk's Office.

What we know:

According to officials, Petter Culver, an election judge, died Tuesday night as the polls closed and the last ballots were being counted.

In a statement from County Clerk and Recorder Joe Tirio, Culver served as an election judge for several years for the Democratic Party. 

Tirio said the work of an election judge is "hard and unglamorous work of making democracy real," with long hours that start before dawn and go into the evening, sometimes more than 15 hours with "little opportunity for a break." 

Tirio also said most judges are older than 65 and still lift equipment, set up polling places, and more.

"They are a rare breed, and I couldn’t be prouder of Petter and his fellow election judges," Tirio said. "McHenry County is truly blessed by these stalwart patriots… What Petter Culver did – what all our election judges do – is among the most profoundly patriotic acts available to a private citizen. They are the quiet guardians of the ballot box. They are the human infrastructure of liberty itself.

What we don't know:

Further details on what led to Culver's death haven't been released.