background.gif

BE A STUDENT POLL WORKER
Earn Money and Community Service Hours

Hundreds of Sarasota high school and college students are experiencing first hand one of the most fundamental of American traditions. Since the summer of 2002, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent has been recruiting local students to work at the polls on election day. The student poll worker program was developed to help meet election day human resources needs and engage high school seniors in the electoral process.

“Besides becoming a valuable new source of workers, students adjust easily to the new technology at polling stations and have served their fellow workers, the voters and the community commendably,” Ms. Dent says.

Students must be 18 years of age and registered to vote in Sarasota County (or 16 years and pre-registered), able to speak and read English. They are required to complete a four-hour training session, conducted by supervisor of elections staff, prior to each election. They are paid for their work at the polls and may receive community service hours for training.

Since the program began, students from Booker, Cardinal Mooney, North Port, Out of Door Academy, Pine View, Riverview, Sarasota, and Venice High Schools, and from MCC, SCTI, and the Cyesis program have served as poll workers, earning the standard poll worker rate of $150 per election.

Students interested in serving as poll workers should complete the Student Poll Worker Application and apply in person at one of the following supervisor of elections offices: The Terrace Building, 101 S Washington Blvd, Sarasota; the Robert L Anderson Administration Bldg, 4000 S Tamiami Trail, Venice, or 13640 Tamiami Trail, North Port. Please bring your signed Social Security card and Florida Driver License.

For more information on the student poll worker program, please see Student Poll Worker Guidelines and contact our voter education coordinator at 861-8610 or the poll worker coordinator at 861-8640.