The Academic and Civic Opportunities of Student Poll Working

• In Event: Enhancing Student Civic Connections through Experiential and Active Learning

Abstract

This paper explores ongoing efforts to provide a campus community with undergraduate student poll workers while promoting civic learning and participation among young adults. Working elections affords an excellent opportunity for civic experiential learning at the undergraduate level if required or heavily encouraged within a course. This opportunity is not limited to courses in government and political science broadly. Election administration and democratic participation in elections has applications and implications in many subjects including law, sociology, and history. Moreover, student poll workers may also inform election administrators and policymakers for the purposes of improving election worker recruitment and youth voter turnout. Specifically, this paper will describe the implementation and findings from a campus student poll worker initiative conducted across multiple elections and semesters, and in coordination with a county elections board.

Author

• Barbara Smith Robertson, Georgia State University