should citizens be required to work the polls?

[mopinko]

like jury duty. half a day. why not?

[Hubert Flottz]

1. yes

[Hobarticus]

2. I think they should be required to vote, too...

But that's just me.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. I can't buy required voting

but I can see tying it to an incentive, like a tax or something.

[RC]

3. Do you really want your flaky next door neighbor

working at a polling place?

[mopinko]

8. he already does.

in big cities, we get some sorry sorts. especially for the "republican" judges.

[LA lady]

4. I don't get it

Here you apply and are trained to work the polls. Thre is usually a waiting list and it pays pretty well. How is it handled in other places?

[Wilms]

7. Here in this LA (CA), they have trouble finding poll workers.

There was a discussion about some program that has corporations giving time off for their employees to work the polls.

I posted that I thought that was a good idea and nearly got my avatar tipped off it's axis.

I don't know the solution.

[mopinko]

10. this was a bad idea why?

?

[Wilms]

12. The concern expressed is that it hands the election off to corporations.

I see that as possible. But there probably are easier ways to infiltrate the process.

This may be another vote for an election day holiday.

Can you imagine if we got the holy grail of hand counts, and not enough people volunteered to count them?

[mopinko]

15. hand counting is what got me thinking.

i can't see the down side of time off outweighing the increased citizen involvement. it is the apathy that is allowing the current corruption to thrive.
maybe i just don't have a corrupt enough mind set.

[Wilms]

17. Yes. Increased citizen involvement. And corporate responsibility, too.

But, the downside might work like this. Think small town with one major employer where employees may be, largely, of the same party.

I'm not making the argument myself, I'm just trying to consider if there are risks, and then, could they be managed.

Makes me wonder how third party candidates feel. Ugh.

[mopinko]

18. i'm still not following it.

and being from chicago, i usually see this kind of thing. unless they do away with the secret ballot...

[Wilms]

19. The fear is a polling place being packed with one party's people.

Then, commence polling place shennanigans.

[mopinko]

11. it pays crappy here.

it's something around $100, for a 10 hour day. training is provided, but i don't think required. they sweep the homeless shelters for people.
with so many precincts in the county, it would add up fast to pay honest to god money. same goes with jury duty. i think that might be up to $20/day.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

6. No

I don't think so. Some people have those skills, some don't. Some are too old to hear properly, some might not be the most honest folks in the world, some have social problems, etc.

[mopinko]

9. like jury duty, some people would be excused.

here, when you get the summons, you get a little questionaire where you can explain any reason you could not serve.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

21. Well, that would be one way around that issues

[Einsteinia]

13. Voteneers!

On Friday we presented o Senator Bowen's office our Gold Standard Audit Protocol ("GSAP"), which among so many things extols the importance of using high school students ("Voteneers") as poll workers--because they need to learn more about maintaining democracy than just R.O.T.C.

Look what's up today!

#: ) Einsteinia

 P.S. I'll send a summary of the GSAP asap, but in the meantime, here's the link:
>>> http://www.califelectprotect.net/GSAP_16d.pdf <<<<

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


BOWEN INTRODUCES MEASURE TO ENCOURAGE HIGH

SCHOOL STUDENTS TO VOLUNTEER AT THE POLLS ON ELECTION DAY

 

SACRAMENTO –Encouraging students to experience democracy first-hand by volunteering at polling places on Election Day is the goal of SB 1193 by Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach), which was introduced today at the State Capitol.  The bill eliminates a provision of state law that cuts school funding when students work at the polls on Election Day.

 

“When students spend Election Day at the polls, they get a hands-on lesson in how our government works that’s certainly as valuable as reading a chapter in a textbook,”said Bowen.  “Encouraging young people to lend a hand at the polls lets them know voting is one of their most important civic responsibilities, which is why taking money away from schools that let their students volunteer at the polls makes no sense.”      

 

Under current law, students can work at the polls on Election Day if they’re 16-years-old and are a high school senior with a grade point average of at least 2.5.  However, if a student misses school to work at the polls, the school loses the “average daily attendance” (ADA) payments it’s entitled to receive from the state for that student.  As a result, many schools don’t encourage students to serve as poll workers on Election Day.  SB 1193 allows students who volunteer at the polls on Election Day to be considered “under the immediate supervision of the certificated teacher of the history or social science course” and allows the school to receive the ADA payment as if the student was in the classroom. 

 

“It makes no sense to put up road blocks to prevent high school students who want to get involved in their community from working at the polls on Election Day,” continued Bowen.  “This is really a common sense proposal that works as an investment in both our students and our democracy.”

 

According to the Secretary of State’s office, some 80,000 volunteers are needed to serve as poll workers during a typical statewide election and it’s common for counties to face a shortage of people who are willing to work at the polls on Election Day.  For example, during the November 8, 2005 special election, county registrars of voters in Alameda, Butte, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties were forced to scramble to find poll workers at the last minute. 

 

SB 1193 is similar to AB 1944 (Hancock) of 2004, which was approved by the Legislature on a bipartisan basis before being vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.  In his veto message, the Governor wrote, “While civic and other volunteer activities can offer many educational opportunities to students, these activities should be in addition to, and not in place of, valuable classroom learning time with a teacher.”

 

“Time in the classroom is certainly important, but it’s not the only way kids can learn how our democracy is supposed to work,” concluded Bowen.  “This isn’t any different than a school that takes a field trip to get students out of the classroom and put a ‘real world’ face on what they’re learning in textbooks.  Schools shouldn’t be penalized because they want to let their students learn first-hand for themselves about the nuts and bolts of how our democracy works.”

 

SB 1193 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee in the coming weeks.

 

###

 

 

[Wilms]

14. In other words, Gee-Sap?

I like that! :thumbsup:

-on edit-

And, of course, I love Voteneers. :)

[Einsteinia]

20. Nice sound to it!

n/t

[mopinko]

16. absolutely awesome!

i wonder what the deal is here in illinois?!?