The first thing to do is vote. It’s that simple. If our sons and daughters are over 18, it is nothing short of their civic responsibility.
But after that is there anything our young people can do that truly moves the needle in this moment of national crisis? Yes, said some Princeton University students, Denver East High School students, and a University of Chicago Booth School of Business graduate who decided that our democracy and non-partisanship were paramount.
Poll Hero recruits young people to be poll workers
They started Poll Hero as an outreach to recruit young people in high school and college to be poll workers in the coming election. Poll workers have often been older, sometimes retired people. But in our current health crisis it can be dangerous for older Americans to expose themselves to the public on voting day. Enter Poll Heroes.
In our local area voters are being recruited to work on voting day with offers of $350. Poll Hero says that young people can earn between $75-500 nationally for participation on November 3. They must be over 18 and registered to vote in some states. Other locations will allow 16 and 17 year olds to sign up.
If you sign up take precautions
Poll Hero is urging young people to take precautions if they sign up. They suggest bringing two masks, a face shield or goggles, hand sanitizer and your own food and drink for the day. They are cautioning anyone with underlying medical conditions to think of their own health first.
The 30 member all-volunteer team has already found huge success. Their goal was to sign up 1,000 poll workers nationally in the first month and after only 3 weeks they have 1,500 workers registered.
Here is where your teen can sign up to work at the polls.
Poll Hero helps guide young volunteers through the process of signing up with their local elections board to work on election day. They keep in touch with reminders and updates to keep the engaged. “We’re there to hold their hand through the sometimes complex, sometimes annoying, bureaucratic form-type processes of getting connected to the people they need to be connected with,” Avi Stopper, 41, a co-founder, said.
For young people looking to make a difference this year (and earn some funds while doing good) Poll Hero provides a great service and a helping hand.
More to Read:
50 Things You Can Do When You Turn 18 Some of these things will surprise you.
