How You Get Involved in the 2020 Elections

Matthew Burkhart, News Editor|October 15, 2020

The 2020 national and state elections are arguably the most important elections in United States history, which means that the voter turnout will likely be higher than it has been in years. Obviously with this turnout, the polls or your favorite campaign need all the help they can get.

There are two jobs that high schoolers can have at the polls, namely Student Election Assistants and Poll Greeters.

Student Election Assistants help with the voting process, assisting voters with their ballots and collecting them. Assistants must attend training and be present on election day, and they can be paid for their work (at least $200) or receive credit hours. To be a Student Election Assistant, you must be at least 17 years of age, a US citizen, in good academic standing, and have permission from a guardian and your school’s principal.

If you’re interested, you can get more information and sign up here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Forms/Student%20Election%20Assistant%20Guide.pdf

If you align with the Democratic Party, you can participate in poll greeting (note that you can’t be both a Student Election Assistant and a Poll Greeter). Poll Greeters speak with voters before they vote and discuss Democratic candidates and their policies.

If you’re interested, you can get more information and sign up here: https://www.wakedems.org/pollgreeting-home

If you are a democrat, you can join organizations such as the Enloe Young Democrats, the Wake County Association of Teen Democrats, and the High School Democrats of America.