Volunteer leaders needed to "adopt" and staff Kids Voting stations for general election (October and November 2009)
Kids Voting is recruiting volunteer groups to "adopt" and staff Kids Voting booths in early voting sites and official voting precincts in Mecklenburg County. This is a GREAT activity for students, PTAs, businesses, retirees, church groups, afterschool youth programs, civic organizations, etc.
How it works
Adopting a Kids Voting precinct is easy - just select a polling site and contact Kids Voting. There should be one person (or a team) that will serve as the Precinct Captain. This person will attend a one-hour training in October (dates will be provided in September 2009 and/or after you register as a captain) for information and supplies. The captain will be responsible for:
- Attending training
- Lining up volunteers needed to staff the site and being available to them on Election Day
- Working closely with election officials
- Managing Kids Voting booth and ensuring a smooth and orderly election experience
- Returning ballots and supplies to Kids Voting on election night
- Providing feedback and ideas
What do student volunteers learn?
A lot! We call our student volunteer effort Youth at the Booth, and it is a great service-learning activity. When you volunteer for Kids Voting Election 2009, you can learn about the election process behind-the-scenes - and serve the community. In addition to helping kids to cast ballots, you'll see what happens when adults vote, how elections are set up, what campaigners do and what they look like, see who votes and what times of day are the busiest, and more.
Can I earn service hours?
Of course! Students can earn service hours for volunteering 2 or more hours with Kids Voting any time of the year! In 2008, precinct captains earned 18 hours for service on Election Day or 25+ for leading early voting Kids Voting sites.
Sounds great. How do I sign up to serve as captain?
To volunteer to be a precinct captain, view the list of Kids Voting stations and contact Kids Voting with the following information:
1. Your name and contact information (email and phone)
2. Three precinct (voting station) choices
Kids Voting staff will contact you to register you for a precinct and provide you with information about captain training. Remember, there is a heavy demand for sites so contact Kids Voting as early as possible!
If you want a form to fill out and send in (email, fax or mail)...here it is!
What if I don't want to be a captain but still want to volunteer?
We are happy you want to volunteer. Precinct captains will schedule individual volunteers to work at their sites. When captains need extra volunteers, they contact the Kids Voting office. Beginning in mid-October, we'll mark sites needing extra volunteers and provide captain contact information. Check the list of voting sites and contact Kids Voting with questions.