The United States Election Assistance Committee awarded Associated Students Inc. a grant to recruit and train college students to become poll workers in Los Angeles County.
ASI received nearly $17,000 to train and pay students for working the polls during the Nov. 7 election. Students who are trained through the program will be assigned to polling stations throughout Los Angeles County.
According to Brigette Young, a development associate for the committee, 55 colleges applied for the federal grants, which were established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Cal State Long Beach was the only college in California awarded a grant. Young said the University of California, Berkeley also applied but did not receive money.
ASI Executive Assistant Theresa Ruiz said the proposal was unique this year because the program at CSULB will make an effort to pair students together. She said ASI thinks this will increase attendance because students will be more motivated to show up at the polls if they are with a friend.
Young said the goal this year is to recruit 500 students to become part of the more than 35,000 people needed to run the polls on Election Day.
“We’re just a drop in the bucket,” Young said.
Young said students could come to one of five sessions held on campus to be trained by people from L.A. County. She said students who come to the training sessions, held in October, will earn $25 and be fed. In addition to the evening training sessions, Young said they will hold a training session on a Saturday in order to accommodate student poll workers.
She said that while students in the program must be registered to vote in California, they do not have to be registered in Los Angeles County. She said students who want to participate, but who are not currently registered, can register at the training sessions.
On top of getting paid for training and showing up to work the polls on election day, Young said students can get extra credit from 11 political science professors for working the polls. She said students could earn from 3 to 5 percent depending on the professor.
