A new bill in the Ohio General Assembly might allow all college students who are Ohio residents and registered voters to be poll workers in the county where they go to school.
House Bill 350 ' a bill supported by Rep. Larry Wolpert, R-Hilliard ' was introduced on the tail of the success of a bill that allowed high school seniors to work the polls. Ninety-nine percent of the high school seniors who worked on Election Day said they would continue to vote in the future; 72 percent said they would work the polls again, according to the sponsor testimony for House Bill 350.
This bill will be beneficial because the average age of a poll worker is 72 years old, and it is hard to find enough people interested in working the polls, Wolpert said. It will be a good way to help young people understand the voting process, he said.
Elder poll workers in previous elections really enjoy having students there, said Deputy Director of the Board of Elections Penny Brooks. Brooks has not heard of anything but a positive response to students being integrated into the system, she said.
Anyone registered to vote in Athens County can contact Brooks to become a poll worker. They can expect to attend poll worker school and work over 13 hours on Election Day. In total, they will make $110 dollars.
Although the bill has yet to pass the house floor, Wolpert said he expects it probably will be effective for the 2009 primaries.
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Libby Cunningham
