HOUSTON, Texas – Three Westbury Christian seniors–Trina Gonzales, Faith Jonesia and Lexi Kunetka–gained real-world experience on Election Day. They volunteered their time to work the polls, and some of them cast their own ballot for the first time.
The AP Government students were at three different locations across Houston from 6AM – 6PM.
“I’m proud of our student volunteers who are getting to see the inner workings of democracy firsthand,” says Courtney Hatfield, Social Studies Department Chair. “I think we can take our election workers for granted, and it’s easy to overlook the amount of work that goes into putting on an election in each county. Our students get to work with people who care so much about your right to vote (regardless of which political party you are supporting) that they are giving up their time to ensure that the election runs smoothly.”
For Trina, the recognition and appreciation shared by complete strangers stood out to her.
“I was shocked that people didn’t even know me, yet they stopped to tell me that they were proud of me and of my being involved in politics somehow. Despite how hot it was and how long the lines were, everyone was so nice. It was a really wonderful experience.”
Faith also had a positive experience with voters, and she learned important lessons through volunteering.
“Make sure to register in the right spot. Volunteering was fun and informative. I loved helping the age range from young to elderly.”
Spending time at the ballots before casting their votes helped clarify the confusing parts of the voting process. Lexi shared that she grew more confident in her understanding of the election process.
“Everyone was confused walking into the polls and now I know what to do and the process of how to vote. I learned all about the voting process.”
The opportunity to work the polls enriched the learning that had taken place in their classroom over the preceding weeks. The classroom lectures and discussions came to life as they saw the process up close.
“We start out every class with a discussion about current events, so of course we are discussing election results today. One of my favorite things about teaching seniors is that I have many students who are first time voters,” adds Mrs. Hatfield. “Voting is so important! Voting leads to results that can impact every person living in this country. Historically, 18-to-29-year-olds are the least likely age group to vote. If students can understand the importance of voting early on, we can create lifetime voters who will make sure their voices are heard. I’m so glad that I get to play a small role in each student’s political journey by encouraging students to be politically active and vote and celebrating with all of our first-time voters.”
