High school poll workers learn first-hand how elections work -- even before they can vote

Before local election organizers fell into a panic over a lack of poll workers for the primary election, 46 kids not old enough to vote stepped up to fill the gap.

An Indiana Secretary of State program called Hoosier Hall Pass allows 16- and 17-year-olds to work an all-day shift at a polling site on Election Day. They attend the same training sessions as adult workers and get paid the same, too. They show up at 5 a.m. and leave after the polls close at 6 p.m., a 13-hour workday.

“They get an understanding of what voting is, the political differences," Monroe County Election Supervisor Kylie Moreland said. "And they get to see what election day actually looks like.”

Moreland said she was confused and somewhat intimidated when she voted for the first time, not sure about the process. She said everyone working at the polls was an older adult.

Student poll workers won’t encounter that discomfort when they go to cast their first ballot. “They know what the voting process is, what a ballot looks like and get to see the election happen first-hand,” Moreland said.

On May 7, students were assigned to 17 of the county's 29 polling sites. Those working the polls as clerks were paid $150 plus $30 for attending training. Students in the role of election sheriffs made $200 plus the training pay. That's an hourly rate of $13.85 and $17.69. All poll workers received a $25 meal stipend for the day as well.

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With a total of 346 people working at the polls, the under-18 students made up 13% of the local election workforce. The Indiana Secretary of State’s office estimated that in 2020, 4% of the state's poll workers were Hoosier Hall Pass participants younger than 18.

Moreland said the Hoosier Hall Pass program, in place since 2020, had been used just once before in Monroe County, in last year's fall election when two worked at the polls.

When Moreland took the job of election supervisor this year and learned about the program, she made including the 16- and 17-year-olds in the election a priority. It was especially helpful because the students, having never voted before, have no political affiliation and can work in either Republican or Democrat slots at the polls.

Students can work in various roles in jobs that require verifying voter information and assisting people at voting booths. They don’t oversee ballot counts or manage poll activities.

“We actually had most of our inspectors come in and tell us they were so happy to have the student  poll workers who brought in a younger presence and could help with things that sometimes older workers struggle with, like putting out the signs and moving chairs and tables into place.”

The inspector at Grandview Elementary School was nervous about the student workers until she saw them in action.

“They really stepped up and helped and let her take a step back to breathe once she saw how well they worked,” Moreland said. “They helped people struggling with the technology part and the poll pads and made the process smoother and faster for people.”

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Republican poll worker recruiter Curt Durnil said students Bloomington High School North, Edgewood High School, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Seven Oaks and also home-schooled students signed up this year to get a close-up view of the American electoral process. He and Orion Saft, the poll recruiter for the Democrats, visited high school to spread the word about the Hall Pass program.

A brochure from the Secretary of State’s office entices students with a few questions: “Do you want to make sure your voice is heard? Interested in politics, government or current events? Want to miss a day of school and get paid for it?”

Some students, like those from Edgewood, did get a day off from school. But others, including North students, already had the day off since MCCSC schools close for Election Day.

The program is intended to give students a glimpse into the importance of elections and oversight of the process. They help ensure citizens’ right to vote and get a taste of the democratic process. The program “provides an opportunity for students to learn about democracy, to actively participate in their community and work to support free and fair elections in Indiana,” the program’s website states.

Students who want to work at a polling site on Election Day must:

∎ Be 16 or 17 years old

∎ Have written approval from their school principal or approval of the person responsible for their education if home schooled

∎ Have parent or guardian permission

∎ Be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the county where they will work on Election Day

∎ Complete training required by the county election board

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Monroe County high schoolers can't vote but 46 worked Election Day