By KERRI HOOVER

What is all the fuss about when it comes to working the polls on Election Day? It is easy, right? All of the voters just simply say their names, sign within a box, are handed a ballot, vote, and then go along on his or her merry way, right?

However, there is more work involved behind the scenes of working the polls on election day than most people think. The students of government teachers Mr. Matt Martin and Mrs. Allyson Durney’s classes, along with Gifted Enrichment Coordinator and AP Government teacher Mr. Edward Fitzgerald’s AP United States Government and Politics class, began to recognize the extensive amount of work and energy that went into the election process upon completion of their sixteen-hour workday on Tuesday, November 6.

Sixty juniors and seniors from Bellefonte High School were willing to volunteer their time and take a day break out of their busy schedules in order to work at various polling places across the county. For the upcoming midterm election, the students volunteered at over ten different polling places within the surrounding areas of State College and Bellefonte. Some of the polling locations included the HUB on the Penn State Campus, Election House in Coleville, Faith UMC in Bellefonte, and the Patton Township Municipal building. Some students even traveled over half an hour to reach their precinct destinations.

In order for the polling locations to promptly open up at 7:00 a.m., the students needed to arrive between 6:00-6:30 a.m. Even after the doors closed at 8:00 p.m., many of the volunteers were unable to leave their assigned buildings until 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. For the students who had a little bit longer of a drive, they had to wake up between 4:00-5:00 a.m. in the morning to ensure that they would arrive at their precincts at an appropriate time.

Senior and first time poll worker, Abby Lohr, was one of several who had to drive thirty minutes in order to get to her polling place. This required her to get out of bed at around 4:00 a.m. so she could carpool with her friend and arrive to the HUB on time.

Even though she was busy working all day, only received six hours of sleep that night, and had to wake up early again for school the following day, Abby had a positive experience volunteering at the HUB overall.

“I really enjoyed going there. Although it sounds terrible, the 16-hour day wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Yes, I had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and didn’t get home until 10:00 p.m., but it honestly didn’t feel like we were there for that long. It most likely had to do with the fact that the polls were busy from open to close,” she said. “The majority of the day, I wrote the voters’ names in a logbook to keep track of who voted and what ballot number they were. I wrote over 900 names, which made my hand hurt by the end of the 16-hour day.”

Not only were some students responsible for writing down the name of each and every eligible voter much like Abby, but there were other numerous tasks that needed to be completed as well throughout the day. Before the polling locations were opened, the students aided by unpacking materials, setting up voting machines, and assembling voting booths. During the voting hours of 7:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m., they greeted and directed voters, handed out ballots, called out voter names, wrote down the names of voters into a logbook, and supervised the ballot machines. After hours, each ballot had to be hand counted along with every write-in accounted for and recorded. The more voters a precinct got might have increased the payment of its workers, but it also meant that their evening just grew longer. Each student and worker alike could not leave their assigned area until each ballot was accounted for and every unpacked material resealed and placed in envelopes.

Some poll workers were even assigned special titles such as the minority inspector.

“I was lucky enough to be given the role of Minority Inspector, which means that I had to take home a copy of all election materials that we wrote on and used throughout the day, along with the results to keep for records in case something needed checked,” Abby said.

The students were not the only ones busy at work on election day. Sophomore and freshman guidance counselor, Mr. Shawn Barbrow, participated for his twenty-first year as an election volunteer. He served as the Judge of Elections for precinct 27 in which he oversaw the conduct of the election and answering any questions proposed throughout the day.

He believes that student participation on Election Day is essential for them to understand the process of how governmental leaders are chosen.

“Student participation in the election allows young people to get a first hand look at how those leaders are selected. This country was founded on the premise of a free vote and the ability to self-select our representation in government. When I was a college student, I was invited to participate in my first election by a WWII veteran. Seeing how he revered the right to vote really helped me understand how important and precious that right was,” Mr. Barbow said.  

Mr. Fitzgerald was in charge of coordinating the event this year. He began organizing this event over twenty-three years ago. However, within his first years of coordinating the polls through he only volunteered students from his AP class.

“I thought it would be a good experience for my AP students to understand what goes on and relate it back to the AP exam,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.

As the years progressed, more Bellefonte students were wanted by election coordinators and Judges of Elections to work the polls. Instead of only restricting the opportunity to his AP class, Mr. Fitzgerald was able to offer it to anyone who was at least seventeen and willing. It turned out that the high schoolers were more reliable compared to the college students who previously volunteered at the places such as the Hubb at Penn State. According to Ms. Jodi Nedd, the Elections Coordinator for the Centre County government, several Judges of Elections “religiously” requested the students to supply the boards.

Through this experience, she believes that all of the participants get a sense of civic duty and pride.

“It gives them … an opportunity to see from the inside how much work is involved on that day to have an election.  Teamwork – it truly takes teamwork and adaptability. It’s been a very positive experience and I would be lost without having Mr. Fitzgerald and the students to help me fill the boards all across Centre County,” she said.

Mr. Fitzgerald, also, takes pride in the willingness and dependability of the students who take on the responsibility of working the polls for each election.

“Our high school students have never not shown up in over twenty-three years. Never had a vacancy. They [students] are willing to come in, train for an hour, work their hands to the bone all day, and then come to school the next day. My admiration for them and their willingness to make our democracy work, has no bounds,” Mr. Fitz said.