Students lend helping hands at Clarion precincts

Voters in several Clarion County precincts had a bit of a surprise when they went to vote Tuesday as some of the poll workers were high school students.

Lois Jaquish, the judge of elections in Strattanville Borough, brought her daughter, Rebecca, to the precinct.

“I have been bringing her along for several years,” said Lois Jaquish. “I feel it is important for her to understand the election process.”

“I have always wanted to do this,” said Rebecca Jaquish, a home school student. “I always wanted to be a part of the process.”

Just down the road, two Clarion Area High School juniors were helping at the Clarion Township second precinct. That was helpful because some of the election board members weren’t able to help this year.

“We are very happy to have two high school students with us,” said Sue Sproul, the judge of elections for the precinct.

“Breanna Warner and Amanda Matus started by registering the voter’s name and then I moved them up to looking up the voter’s name in the poll book and they have also been encoding the cards for the voting machines,” said Sproul. “They have been awesome. They have been friendly and they are good workers.”

Sproul said the girls arrived before 6 a.m.

“They were very early,” said Sproul. “I was not here that early.”

“I wanted to volunteer and learn more about the election process,” said Warner. She said she gained an interest in politics after her father ran for office last year.

“It has been interesting learning what goes into it,” Warner said.

“I wanted to learn the basics of how everything is done,” said Matus. “I learned that it is a long process and it is all hands on deck.”

“They are interested in their government or they wouldn’t want to come,” said veteran pollworker Linda Heasley.

“Last year we had a senior at C-L who was on our election board,” said Sproul. “She was paid for this opportunity, just like our girls are today. It starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. It is a great opportunity for kids to get involved with their community and civic responsibility.”