 Forest Park, IL...Proviso Township High Schools students will get a modern civics lesson first hand by participating in Cook County’s Student Election Judge Program.
“Our students will work closely with and receive training from the Cook County Clerk’s Office,” said PTHS 209 Superintendent Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart. “I encourage all of our students to participate and learn as much as they can about the elections process and the important roles they play as responsible and informed citizens.”
This year PTHS students will serve as election judges. Every election, 12,500 election judges in 2,500 suburban Cook County precincts make sure that polling place operations run smoothly that elections are carried out fairly, honestly and accurately.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to get a real life introduction to civics and how the election process works,” said PTHS 209 Board Member Brian Cross. “I commend our teachers, administrators, and the clerk’s office for giving students an opportunity to learn and be a part of such an important process.”
PTHS students who participate in the Student Judge Program play a crucial role by serving as the gatekeepers of democracy. As part of a team of judges, students will be responsible for helping voters and supervising polling place activity. Students will also be paid for their efforts. Student election judges can earn up to $170 every election.
Student judges share the same responsibilities, hold the same authority and perform the same tasks as other election judges. They include:
- Opening the polling place in the morning and closing it at night
- Setting up election equipment
- Providing assistance to voters
- Signing in voters
- Verifying voter qualifications
- Distributing ballots/issuing activation cards for touch screens
- Operating voting equipment
- Filling out forms
- Processing and transmitting votes at the end of the day
- Certifying vote totals
The program will train and prepare students to participate in the February primary. Interested students should contact their school counselor
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