In every election, poll workers collect data, verify eligibility, and help voters with questions about the voting process. In Collin County’s upcoming election, high school juniors and seniors have the opportunity to take an inside look at what it means to fulfill the role by serving as a youth poll worker.
“This year, Collin County is offering a youth poll worker committee for juniors and seniors [where] they can volunteer to be a poll worker,” AP Government teacher Amanda Peters said. “[Students] need to fill out a form on the Collin County voter registration site and they’ll submit it to the Collin County voter registration office and then if they’re selected, they’ll get the opportunity to work at one of the local polls during early voting or actually on the day of the election.”
Senior Riya Sharma applied after hearing about the experience through a Remind message Peters sent out to all her junior and senior students.
“It’s very data-entry focused,” Sharma said. “Guiding people to where the polls are and giving them the ballot, pencils, pens, whatever they need, and helping the actual poll workers with any extra work they need to get done because we aren’t really allowed to do most of the stuff as minors.”
The chance to apply to be a youth poll worker could also help in future career aspirations.
“I’m an aspiring attorney and I really like looking into elections and politics,” Sharma said. “So I feel like it’s a good way to get involved and it’s just a good way to see how, at a very local level, how politics and elections work as well.
This experience may help students see the ins and outs of the election process, but they are also exposed to the interactions between poll workers and voters.
“It’s incredibly important because you get to see the dedication of the poll workers,” Peters said. “And you get to participate in facilitating the voting of others, which, our responsibility includes voting, but that’s not the only thing. Our responsibility as citizens is to participate in campaigning and elections and talking to our friends and peers about issues that are important to us.”
For Peters, poll working highlights the importance of civic responsibility.
“The advantages are that it’s a wonderful experience because you get to work with the community,” Peters said. “It kind of shows you that poll work is a responsibility—just like showing up for jury duty or paying your taxes—and that as citizens, we have privileges but we also have a lot of responsibilities.”
