Earlier this month, twelve students traveled to the Ventura County Government Center to participate in a three-hour training session to prepare to volunteer at the polls in the November 6 midterm elections.
This wouldn’t have happened without the help of OVS’s academic director and government teacher Laurel Colborn, who offered the opportunity to students after receiving an email from the county’s Election Division asking for student poll workers.
After making an announcement for the program at milk & crackers, twelve students came to her and expressed their interest in participating.
Training was the first step for the students to be volunteer workers. The students went to the Hall of Administration in Ventura to attend a class learning about the different types of ballots, working the equipment, and about setting up and putting away all of the equipment at the end of the day.
“I think the students realized that it’s a pretty extensive process,” Mrs. Colborn said. “It’s not just going to the polling centers and standing around, it’s actual work.”
The training session was just the beginning of working at the polls for the students. On November 6, the students will have to be at the polls at 6:00 am and work until 8:00 pm.
Through this process, Mrs. Colborn hopes that they gain valuable insight on democracy and the U.S. government in the face of an extremely politically divided country and hopes that it motivates them to do their research and get out and vote when they’re eligible.
“I hope that it inspires them to see that Democracy is so much more than what you see on TV or what you read in the papers,” Mrs. Colborn said. “I hope that by participating in this process, they’ll see that democracy is so much more than that and gain valuable insight into the system in the United States as to how we elect officials and how we vote on issues.”