Bellefonte Area students to help oversee polling places in Centre County for Election Day

When it comes to helping run polling places in Centre County for Election Day, Bellefonte Area High School social studies teacher Ed Fitzgerald doesn’t believe it’s a possible task without the work of Bellefonte Area students.

Fitzgerald, sixth through 12^th-grade gifted instructor and Advanced Placement government and politics teacher, said about 75 Bellefonte Area students are working the precincts on Nov. 7. He added that it started more than 20 years ago.

“I think they really wanted to learn the process of working with voter registration and from there it ballooned,” Fitzgerald said. “I think Centre County is really dependent on Bellefonte (Area) High School students to man the polls. On presidential elections they pretty much rely on help from the entire (Bellefonte Area) senior class and half of the junior class.”

There are five main responsibilities per precinct that includes each location having an election judge, a majority and minority clerk, and majority and minority inspector – all which many Bellefonte Area students are responsible for.

“It shows them the nuts and bolts of how elections work and reinforces what we teach in the classroom,” Fitzgerald said.

*By Brit Milazzo, public relations director, BASD. Photo provied by Centre County and used with approval.