You want to hear something cool? Sixteen- and 17-year-old students are signing up in droves to work on election day … and the old guard is thrilled to have these tech-savvy newcomers!
Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson launched the Hoosier Hall Pass poll worker recruitment program to enable “a ‘live’ experience of democracy in action on Election Day.” The program provides an opportunity for students to learn about democracy by participating actively “in their community and work to support free and fair elections in Indiana.”
WIBC reports that as of October 19 more than 100 students have signed up to work in Hamilton County, compared to 30 in 2016, according to county clerk Kathy Williams. In Marion County, more than 4,000 people have signed up to work the polls. County clerk Russell Hollis does not have exact numbers, but he said that “far more 16- and 17-year-olds have signed up this year than in 2016 and previous election cycles.”
Sure, they earn a nominal stipend and an excused absence from school, but I tend to believe they are aware enough to see the civic unrest and care enough about the future of our country to get a first-hand look at democracy in action and an early start at becoming productive civic participants.
Current Indiana law allows 16- and 17-year-old high school students to serve as poll workers on Election Day, so long as they:
- Have written approval from their principal or, if the student is educated at home, the approval of the individual responsible for the education of the student
- Have the approval of their parent or guardian
- Are a citizen of the United States and a resident of the county in which they wish to work on Election Day
- Satisfactorily complete any training required by the county election board and are otherwise eligible to serve as a precinct officer
The WIBC report further details the value of young peoples’ boots on the ground – namely the teenagers’ “tech-savvy minds.”
Hollis says, “A lot of them will work the electronic poll books, which is an iPad. The iPad has a list of every registered voter in the county. That’s how we check in voters. Typically, by scanning the back of their driver’s license or Indiana ID, so that’s what a lot of our younger election workers will do. They are very familiar with that technology, as they use it every day.”
You might be experiencing a wait as you make your way to the voting booth. I encourage you, however, to give a word of encouragement and appreciation to any young person you see working and learning the American way on election day.
For more information, review the Hoosier Hall Pass brochure.
