Indiana students prepare to work the polls on Election Day through Hoosier Hall Pass program

Some Indiana counties are addressing poll worker shortages by engaging high school students in the voting process. The state’s Hoosier Hall Pass program allows 16- and 17-year-olds to miss school and work the polls on Election Day.

Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA and get approval from their schools and parents or guardians to be poll workers. They must also attend a training session before Election Day.

Amy Scrogham is the Allen County election director. She said 50 of the county’s 670 poll workers this election will be students participating in the Hoosier Hall Pass program. Most of them will work as assistant judges.

“They help put people on voting machines throughout the day at the polling location they’re assigned to,” she said.

The number of students needed to work each election varies by year and election type. For example, city general elections typically require about 20 students. County officials work closely with local high schools to recruit their target number of student poll workers.

Scrogham said student poll workers get to see a different side of elections and become more familiar with the process so they have more knowledge when they’re old enough to vote.

“They can see a different side, which I think is very important,” she said.

The Hoosier Hall Pass program is overseen by the Indiana Secretary of State’s office. Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales said in a press release earlier this year that Indiana needs at least 20,000 poll workers to ensure smooth, trustworthy elections.

“Recruiting dedicated poll workers is essential for the success of our elections. Elections statewide rely on committed Hoosiers who are helping to ensure every vote is counted accurately and efficiently,” he said.

St. Joseph County Clerk Amy Rolfes said poll workers in Indiana tend to be older in age, and Saint Joseph County is no exception. She said about 10 to 15 of the county’s poll workers are between the ages of 75 and 80. The election board has been trying to get more young people involved in the process, but recruiting college students was difficult because of their busy schedules.

The county first started employing students through the Hoosier Hall Pass program during the primary election earlier this year. This November, 25 high school students will work at voting centers throughout the county. Rolfes said they’ll be partnered with experienced poll workers to mentor them.

“It’s a great community building thing as well to bridge the gap between our veteran workers,” she said. “And they recognize these younger kids are not afraid of technology. They are happy to jump in.”

Students in the program do various jobs on Election Day. In St. Joseph County, they often serve as election sheriffs who greet voters at the door, encourage them to have their IDs ready and ask about changes to peoples’ names and addresses.

“We’ll start off the Hoosier Hall Pass students with a very easy job like the sheriff. That’s our plan for this year,” Rolfes said.

READ MORE: What do I need on Election Day? The general election is Nov. 5

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Students can also check voters in or activate voting machines. They are paid $160 for the day in St. Joseph County, but the amount varies from county to county.

Rolfes said no matter what job students do, they get to experience every aspect of the voting process. That ultimately helps build their confidence in the election process.

“My number one goal is to increase public trust in elections,” Rolfes said. “The mechanism I use to do that is for anyone who’s skeptical of the elections process, I invite them to be a vote center worker. They see from start to finish everything that goes into the election.”

Rolfes believes the Hoosier Hall Pass program will continue to gain popularity in St. Joseph County because students are curious about how elections work.

“I really appreciate the fact that they want to get involved to learn more about elections,” she said. “If we start at the high school level and these students learn about the process and learn how trustworthy the process is, especially in Indiana with our strong election laws, they can become the spokespeople for the elections process.”

Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.