Ohio State and Columbus State students selected as “campus champions” are recruiting 500 of their fellow students to work the polls in Franklin County’s election Nov. 2.
Chris Adams, coordinator of undergraduate programs at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, along with Kevin Freeman, program manager of politics, society and law scholars, and Melinda Wright, assistant provost of the Office of Student Enrollment and Undergraduate Education, worked closely with representatives from Kids Voting Central Ohio and the Franklin Board of Elections to apply for and receive a grant to train 500 college students to work the polls on Election Day.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission awarded them a two-part grant: the first part to pay the student poll workers and the second to take advantage of digital media and social-networking sites.
Although it is a three-year grant, its success from technological recruiting will determine its longevity.
“Our goal is to be as technological as possible,” said Rachel Coyle, a fourth-year in political science and psychology and a campus champion. “We’ve been using Facebook a lot, and Twitter and Buckeye Net News sourcing.”
The campus champions have also been recruiting “the old-fashioned way” on the Oval, Coyle said.
Benjamin Williams, a fourth-year in political science, is another campus champion. He emphasized the use of Internet ads and online training programs when talking about technological techniques.
“We’re trying to use every available outlet we can to get as big of an audience as we’re able to muster,” Williams said.
The goal of the grant is to recruit 250 students from OSU and 250 from Columbus State.
Students must be registered voters in Franklin County to be considered as poll workers, Coyle said. To apply to be a poll worker, Coyle said students should print out and submit the application from collegepollworker.com.
Student poll workers will be paid $150 at the end of their daylong shift.
After registering, students take part in online training seminars and simulations to learn the responsibilities of a poll worker, Williams said. They then participate in a two-hour, in-person training session that gives hands-on experience with setting up and working Election Day equipment.
A student poll worker’s day consists of setting up election equipment from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. on Election Day. From 6:30 a.m., when the polls open to the public, until 7:30 p.m., when they close, the students assist voters by taking them to their ballots, making sure they have the correct ballot and answering questions. It gives the students the opportunity to take an active role in the democratic process, Adams said.
Although 250 students have been recruited, Coyle said, transportation issues have prevented some from applying. Student poll workers are responsible for getting to their designated poll on their own, Adams said.
Another deterrent is resistance from instructors who base class grades on attendance, Adams said, because students will be absent from classes for an entire day.
But Williams said he thinks the experience will be worth it.
“I think you really start to understand the political process,” he said. “You see how the individual kind of relates to the bigger picture, and that I think it is essential in understanding how our democracy functions.”
