Every election, the San Mateo County Election office allows high school students to work at polling centers under their Student Democracy Program. Students have the opportunity to witness American democracy in action, while the county gains the essential workers needed to hold a proper and efficient election. Students who participated in the Student Democracy Program worked at polling stations across the entire county, registering and assisting voters through the voting process. Many seniors and juniors at Mills took advantage of the opportunity and were able to directly contribute to the 2020 election process.
The Student Democracy Program reached out to high schools across the county, sending program flyers to school administrators and teachers who then passed it on to students who were 16 and older. Many of the student volunteers had an interest in American democracy and wanted to familiarize themselves with the voting process before they were old enough to vote in the next election. On why he joined the Student Democracy Program, Brain He (12) states that “I wanted to take hold of the opportunity to witness what really goes on at the election polls and be able to help uphold democracy in my community”. The program provided training for students on how to operate a polling station, opportunities for extra volunteer work during the weekend before election day, and a few hundred dollars for participating in the training and working at the polling stations. Applicants had to fill out a form that was directly sent to the election office, as well as a tax form, and lastly, they needed to be excused from classes. Students had to get signatures from their teachers, fill out a google form for their school, and get their parents to send an approval email, allowing them to go. Once a student’s application was approved, they had to undergo mandatory training before they were allowed to work at the polls.
Participants were able to sign up for a series of in-person or online training sessions where they were able to learn how to operate a polling center and how to maintain a safe voting environment during election day. There are two ways that people can vote in-person, either through a paper ballot or a Ballot Marking Tablet. If a person chooses to cast a paper ballot, then they would check in with a poll worker who would gather their precinct number (a precinct is a subdivision of a city) to pass to another worker. The second worker would process the number and other info through a computer, which is then printed onto a physical ballot for the voter to use. Once the person has voted, the ballot is sent to a dropbox to be counted after poll closures. Alternatively, a person could choose to vote using a BMT. The process is the same as the paper ballot until the precinct number is transferred to a ballot marking tablet card. The voter inserts the card into the tablet, votes, and then the ballot, which only has a list of what the voter chose, is printed and sent to the dropbox with the paper ballots. Voters were also able to drop off mail-in ballots onto a dropbox outside the polling station; this dropbox is protected by a two-person integrity system, where two workers would guard the outside dropbox at all times. On top of the polling system, students also were trained on social distancing and health protocols that were in place at each polling station due to the pandemic. Each polling booth and poll station supplies had to be sanitized after each voter used the poll booth. The poll workers had to maintain a six-foot social distancing environment and create a voter route through the polling station that separated the entrance and exit. The workers also had to encourage people to wear masks at the polling booths, however, they couldn’t legally force a person to wear a mask due to state law. After the polling system and health protocol training, students were assigned to polling stations across the county to assist the full-time poll workers.
During the election, the student poll workers volunteered from 8 am to 6 pm on the weekend before the election and from 6 am to 9 pm on election day itself. Each student was allocated two one-hour break periods and switched stations every few hours. At the Millbrae community center polling station, which primarily had Mills students stationed, the volunteers alternated between passing out voter stickers, directing mail-in vote traffic, assisting people through the in-person voting process, printing out ballots, activating BMT cards, and disinfecting voting surfaces. [Insert quote here] Students who worked at the other polling stations also did the same tasks. The student poll workers found the work very tiring, as they had to work 10-15 hour shifts with only a few breaks in-between. Poll workers also had to deal with the controversies surrounding the 2020 election, such as the threat of social unrest, which was more present in other states, and the dilemma of mask-wearing. Some individuals deliberately refused to follow social distancing protocols, such as mask-wearing, and the polling centers were forced to accommodate them. In Millbrae, the community center had to be cleared out to let a single person without a mask vote. Everything the voter touched had to be disinfected to decrease the risk of COVID-19 transmission which slowed down the overall voter process for everyone as lines grew. Another issue that poll workers faced was the presence of campaign material on voter clothing which is against federal law. The workers would have to force the offending voters to cover up their clothing, which took some convincing. Another worker faced the issue of somebody trying to use their phone while in the voting booth. The long hours and problematic voters made poll work very tiring for the volunteers, however, all volunteers considered the poll work as a positive experience.
Working at the polling stations had a significant effect on the students in the Student Democracy Program. Many students found the poll booth work rewarding, as they were carrying out a civic duty that is essential to the integrity of this country. When describing her poll working experience, Carina Velasco (12) felt that “I really felt like I contributed to the democratic process. It felt good helping voters practice their civic duty.” Others were happy to serve the voters, especially first-time voters, those who had recently become of voting age, and new citizens. Witnessing the diversity of voters on election day, Anjuli Niyogi (12) added, “It was really cool to see so many first time voters – including people of age and people who had recently gained their citizenship”. Some volunteers appreciated being able to see democracy function in front of their eyes and learning about how America’s elections work. Gabriella Handoko (12) commented, “I learned new things both from the perspective of a voter and election worker. Now in the future, I’d know how to fill out my ballots, how they get processed, and specific rules to abide to”. Ultimately, the student volunteers most appreciated their interactions and work with other student poll workers and adults. Many students signed up for the Student Democracy Program with their friends, which made poll work more enjoyable. Some students were able to build new relationships with other student poll workers. Most prominently, the student volunteers respected, admired, and appreciated the adult poll workers. When recounting their experiences with poll workers, David Paul Cortez (12) states that “I have a lot more respect for the people that work there and count everything”, and Cayenne Wong (11) mentioned that “I met an amazing guy and his father who were volunteering, and they went above and beyond when working. They were very hardworking, and didn’t even take a lunch break during the day”. The Student Democracy Program allowed many students across the county, including Mills students, to directly participate in the election process that is an integral aspect of our democracy. The student volunteers this election often replaced regular election workers who could not work this year due to being high risk for Coronavirus. Their work during the election made the voting process more efficient, allowing more people to exercise their right to vote. On behalf of myself and TheThunderbolt, we appreciate and commend your hard work.
