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Some 50 students worked as nonpartisan poll monitors for the general election as part of an experiential learning assignment.
As a second session of "election protection" training was wrapping up in Dr. Lauren Copeland's U.S. Government and Politics class at Baldwin Wallace University last month, many students shared that they'd never voted before.
Now, they were being asked to help protect that precious right as volunteer poll monitors in a consequential general election.
Copeland says she designed the assignment for young students in that political science 101 class, plus 20 more in an upper-level course, to give them "a front-row seat to the mechanics of running a secure election. It's important for them to see how the process works for themselves."
Greer Aeschbury with "All Voting is Local," a nonpartisan organization that works "to advance fair, inclusive rules on voter registration, to remove barriers that make it more difficult for people to vote, and to ensure every vote counts," provided the students with training and resources.
Her group is part of a network of nonpartisan advocacy groups that make up the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition (OVRC). As part of their work, the coalition recruits and trains poll monitors like the BW students to report problems, answer questions and help voters troubleshoot issues.
"You do not have to be an election expert to help," Aeschbury stressed during their training. "We provide a digital list of frequently asked questions and answers as well as a hotline number to call in an expert."
During their three-hour shifts during early voting or on election day, students observed and reported anything voters were experiencing, such as long lines, broken machines, language barriers or voter intimidation.
They also acted as friendly faces to make the voting experience positive by thanking voters for participating and answering questions like how to follow through after casting a provisional ballot.
"It was really cool to be at a polling location as soon as it opened at 6:30 a.m.," said volunteer Bri Almasy '28, a pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy major. "It was exciting to see a good turnout and people who were excited to vote right from the beginning. I voted by mail, but I thought this was a great way for me to still feel involved in person, and it was a great experience that I won't forget."
"I was pleasantly surprised by how thorough and peacefully people were voting," observed history major Jaret Gold '25. "At least in Berea, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, which I was worried about going into it."
The observations collected by the poll monitors also contribute to the historical record of election day data that will be studied and analyzed for big-picture takeaways in the work to make future elections safe and smooth.
"It was really great to see so many Americans making their voices heard," said political science major Derek Larner '26. "I am proud of the work that BW students made in taking action today to ensure that everything went smoothly at the polls."
Read more on the BW experiential learning project on Cleveland.com.
