Nov. 7 was polling day in Falls Church City, offering numerous opportunities for AP Government students at Meridian to get involved in local government.
Students volunteered to make sure the day ran smoothly, to aid and assist poll workers and voters, and most importantly, to get exposed to a polling environment and learn how important it is to vote.
“It’s good for kids to see how much work goes into it behind the scenes,” said AP US Government and Politics teacher Ms. Mahony She described that it is crucial for students to learn and see how elections work, which helps students gain a more in-depth experience in the political world.
Students from both AP Government and Global Politics classes volunteered at polling locations this past election. “I’ve had anywhere from 18 to 40 [students]” Ms. Mahony said. She feels that it is important for students to grow and learn from the experiences that they get to see during election days.
Meridian students have been involved in local elections for over a decade. The school is partnered with the Falls Church Electoral Board which helps run the elections and polling centers here in the city. At a meeting with student volunteers, the electoral board talked about how this program helps teach students about what happens at polls on voting day, how students can impact elections, and why elections matter.
“We love to be the beginning or the start of someone wanting to be a civic elector in the future,” said Secretary of the Electoral Board Renee Andrews.
Student volunteers had to follow a very strict set of rules. They could not attempt to influence a vote, by wearing a political shirt, touching any marker ballots, or accepting a ballot from anybody.
“There was a lot of observing,” sophomore Dylan Bryan said. Dylan was one of many student volunteers at this past election. She worked with the poll workers to hand out stickers and learned what it is like behind the scenes of a polling center. “It gave me more of a visual of what was going on.”
These types of experiences give students a more in-depth understanding of the world around them and how it connects to what they study in class.
