Students Step Up

influencer.

STUDENTS STEP UP meet the teen recruiting her peers to the polls

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN BECOME AN ELECTION WORKER even before you’re old enough to vote? North Dallas teenager Sydney Watson, president of the student council at Alcuin School and an artist, learned about the student election clerk program and went on a campaign of her own: to encourage other young people age 16 and up to get involved on election day. We talked to Sydney about her project, called Students Step Up—something you can get behind no matter where you stand politically. How did you get involved with the student election worker program? I first heard about the [program] from my principal, and it sounded like a hands-on way to learn about community involvement. I worked the primary election in March of this year and walked away from it excited about participating again in the future. I even talked my mom into working as a poll

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worker in the next election.

Was this something you’ve always wanted

to do? My school emphasizes connections between what we’re learning in the classroom and real-world issues. While this wasn’t something I ever expected to do, I [saw] that now is a serious time when people my age are uniquely situated to have an impact and are needed to step up to the plate—hence the name of my project, Students Step Up. I hope [it] helps others see that we really can bring change in our communities, which starts small but with a big idea. Texas is too big to think small!

What drove you to organize your peers to be

student election workers? This spring, I started hearing a lot of concerns about the upcoming general election. My parents gave me an article about the November election and how, even if a lot of people voted by mail, there would still be a great need for in-person voting. For people to vote safely, we’ll need lots of polling locations staffed with lots of election workers, ABOVE // Alcuin School’s Sydney Watson is keeping lines short. After discussing [this] inspiring fellow young people to serve on Nov. 3. with my family, I realized that students can really play a significant role in this election, and public, private and charter schools who helped that our involvement now is more important me spread my campaign at their schools. than ever. This was also an opportunity for me to use

What do you do as a student election workart to conceptualize and design my social meer? Student election workers do everything dia graphics. I even reached out to Evan Lian, that adult poll workers do. From the start of a cartoonist for The New Yorker, who designed Election Day, we’re at the polls setting up mathree images for my social media pages. My chines and signage to prepare for voting, and parents and sister were super helpful to me we work throughout the day to check people in throughout the process too, as well as a teacher and guide them through from my school who the process. It’s always was always available for a long day, but it’s defime to bounce around nitely gratifying! ideas.

Poll workers are That’s great! How often senior citizens; many volunteers are

does your project lift a burden off them? Step Up! needed? Dallas County needs around 1,000 Many poll workers are student election workers in the age range of my To get your teen involved and keep on Election Day this grandparents, and I up with the progress of Students Step November, and I hope know from frequent Up, check out @studentsstepup on to fill every one of those FaceTime calls with Instagram and Twitter. positions. My campaign them that the risk of isn’t over yet; hopecontracting COVID-19 Want your child to develop a similar fully I’ll have a major is top of mind. If civic mindset? Head to dfwchild.com impact on the number students turn out in and search for our “How To Raise a of students who work large numbers to staff Voter” article. It contains tips for making the polls! the polls, we are taking your kids aware of the importance of Why do you think some of the pressure off elections. it’s important for people our older poll workers in your age to participate these current times. in this way? I think it’s

How are you working important for students to get other students involved? I’m running my age to recognize that they can play a role in a social media campaign to raise awareness our democracy, even if they aren’t old enough about the program and to make the application to vote. Students who are educated about the more accessible to students. Before I started, I voting process and their rights as voters are did a lot of research on effective social media more likely to take action when they become campaign strategies, trying to learn everything voting age. When students witness our democI could about how to maximize my efforts and racy firsthand as poll workers, [I think] they reach as many students as possible. I contacted feel more empowered to be active members of many other student council presidents at the community.

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