BOXFORD – Masconomet High School students got a firsthand look at the election process when they volunteered at the polls in Middleton, Topsfield, and Boxford during November’s state election.
Prior to volunteering, seniors in teacher Eva Urban Hughes’ class had the opportunity to meet with Middleton Town Clerk Ilene Twiss and learn about the voting process and election integrity. Students also learned about how poll workers support Town Clerks’ work on election day and during early voting.
Twiss fielded numerous questions from students about voting and elections, speaking passionately about the work that goes into protecting the integrity of the process. She also extended the invitation to volunteer and facilitated the opportunity to do so in Topsfield and Boxford as well.
One senior, Anna Halilaj, registered to vote during Twiss’ visit so she could vote in the upcoming election, which took place one day after her 18th birthday. Another, Luke Maczynski, volunteered for a total of 10 hours at polling places in all three towns.
Nearly all of the students volunteered to support early voting or election day operations across the three Masconomet communities and one volunteered in Salem. Student volunteers helped to check-in voters as they arrived during early voting and on election day, while others worked after the polls closed to support ballot counting.
Another group of students worked to conduct a mock gubernatorial election during lunch periods on Nov. 7 and 8.
“Providing this kind of experiential learning for students is critical to understanding good citizenship,” Urban Hughes said. “Students witness firsthand the integrity of the voting process, which has recently been under attack. Nurturing thoughtful, conscientious citizens is the number one goal of public education and I applaud my students and the Town Clerks in the tri-town area for joining us at Masco in this effort.”
