In the near future, the United States will have a serious shortage of poll workers unless younger people step up to volunteer for this vital civic process. But thanks to a counterproductive election policy that requires poll workers to be registered in the same state in which they want to work, these young people will have a difficult time filling the shortage. Considering the state’s huge student population, the Massachusetts Board of Elections should take the lead and eliminate this law, which harms both college students eager to delve into the electoral process and residents exercising their right to vote.
“If they’re breathing and they can walk we have to take them,” a Baltimore elections director told the Associated Press, on the need for more poll workers. Elections boards have become this desperate because state laws shut off a large pool of able and interested workers. Many college students can not only breathe and walk but are often educated on political policy. Students who are willing to volunteer at polls are undoubtedly qualified to do the job. It’s unfair that many students cannot volunteer simply because they are registered in another state.
More than half of all Boston University students come from out-of-state. Neighboring schools such as Boston College or Northeastern University undoubtedly show similar trends. Often, students choose to stay registered in their state in case they move back home or want to vote in local elections. There’s no logical reason to penalize them for making that decision.
Especially in the City of Boston, government officials constantly complain of the crime students cause or the disregard they show for their neighbors. Working the local polls is a perfect way for college students and long-time residents to interact in a positive way. Residents often complain about the noise roaring through student apartments on weekend nights. Seeing a college student help residents vote in local elections would make for a positive change in residents’ perception of students.
Equally as important, eliminating this law would benefit college students as well. It allows for politically active students to directly observe the electoral process and it gives them a chance to get involved in the community outside their school in an important way.
It seems hard to believe that election boards would continue to allow polling stations to suffer from volunteer cuts and prevent college students from getting involved in the political process. College students can bring energy to an often tired process. And considering the shortage of poll workers facing the nation, eliminating the law would be not only beneficial to students, but necessary for everyone.
