Students Assist At Polls

Voting Smooth In Washington County

— Turquoise Early, a senior at Fayetteville High School, couldn’t vote Tuesday because she won’t turn 18 until Thursday but she and more than 50 other students spent Election Day as volunteers in polling places throughout Fayetteville.

Four Springdale High School students, all Spanish-native speakers, spent the day at the Rodeo Community Center polling place to assist as translators.

Polling places were busy early and no serious problems were reported, according to Jennifer Price, Washington County Election Commission coordinator. More ballots had to be delivered to Elkins later in the day.

By the time polls closed, everything appeared in order, said Tom Lundstrum Jr., a Washington County election commissioner. He toured polling sites throughout the west end of the county earlier in the day and said turnout appeared brisk.

The students were able to observe the election process as lines of voters filed through their polling places.

“I registered to vote when I got my license but I still can’t vote,” Early said, while surveying the activity at Sequoyah Methodist Church in Fayetteville.

“I’m learning the process,” Early said. “The right to vote is one of the biggest rights. It’s a privilege.”

Over at St. John Lutheran Church, Sarah Huang and Amelia Whitaker, both 17, were directing voters and making sure ballots were deposited correctly in the box.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to get involved,” Huang said.

“It’s good practice when we do get to vote,” Whitaker added.

The students are from Advanced Placement Government classes or the National Honor Society, and spent about six hours in the polling places. They were excused from school for the day to participate.

“The purpose of their volunteering is to give them real life election experience, whether old enough to vote this year or not, and to reinforce their sense of civic duty in relation to voting,” said Amber Pinter, an Advanced Placement Government teacher at Fayetteville High School.

Yarely Perez, 18, and a senior at Springdale High School, said she volunteered to help at the Rodeo Center.

As for voting in her first presidential election, Perez said “it was really convenient and really easy to do.”

At the Washington County Clerk’s office, Becky Lewallen, an assistant clerk, said the phone lines were “jammed” with calls from people wanting to know where to vote or to change their address. The last chance to change registration was 5 p.m. Friday. A steady stream of people walked into the office Tuesday searching for the right place to vote.

Claudia Hill said she recently moved to Fayetteville from Jonesboro and went to the wrong polling place.

“I didn’t realize my voter registration card listed my polling place on the bottom,” Hill said.

MaeZeatta Ramsey, election supervisor at Wiggins Memorial United Methodist Church, said redistricting as a result of the 2010 U.S. Census caused more people than usual to show up at the wrong polling place.

George Butler, county attorney, said a man from Ozark was asking if he could vote in Washington County. A ride back to Ozark was arranged so the man could cast his ballot.

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