Adopt-a-Precinct
Thank you volunteers! You make this program possible.
We are recruiting volunteer groups to "adopt" and staff student
booths in early voting sites and official voting precincts in
Mecklenburg County in October and November 2011. This is a GREAT
activity for students, PTAs, businesses, retirees, church
groups, afterschool youth programs, civic organizations, etc.
Get involved in this year's exciting local election...and be
first in line to volunteer in 2012!
How it works
Adopting a Kids Voting election site is easy. Just
contact us with
the information listed below. You should select 1-2 people to serve as the
Precinct Captain. The captain will attend a one-hour training in October 2011
(dates will be provided after you register as a captain) for information and
supplies. The captain will be responsible for:
- Attending training
- Lining up volunteers needed to staff the site and being available to them on
your voting date(s)
- Working closely with election officials
- Managing the Kids Voting booth and ensuring a smooth and orderly election
experience
- Returning ballots and supplies to Kids Voting on Election Night
- Providing feedback and ideas
What do student volunteers learn?
A lot! We call our student volunteer effort Youth at the Booth, and it is a
great service-learning activity. When you volunteer for the Kids
Voting Election Experience, you can learn about the election
process behind-the-scenes - and serve the community. In addition
to helping kids to cast ballots, you'll see what happens when
adults vote, how elections are set up, what campaigners do and
what they look like, see who votes and what times of day are the
busiest, and more.
When is this happening in 2011?
- Election Day 2011 is Tuesday, November 8. Kids Voting booths will be open
3:30-7:30PM.
- Early Voting 2011 will be on October 28 11AM-5PM, October 29 10AM-1PM,
October 30 1-4PM and November 5 10AM-1PM.
Where?
Can I earn service hours?
Of course! Students can earn service hours for volunteering 2 or
more hours with Kids Voting any time of the year! In 2011,
precinct captains can earn up to 10 hours for service on
Election Day or 25 for leading early voting Kids Voting sites.
Sounds great. How do I sign up to serve as captain?
To volunteer to be a precinct captain, view the list of Kids Voting
stations and contact Kids Voting with the following information:
1. Your name and contact information (email AND phone)
2.
Area of city or county where you would like to volunteer - we
will help you to identify a site
3. Specify if you want to be a captain for (a) Early Voting or
(b) Election Day
Kids Voting staff will contact you to register you for a precinct and provide
you with information about captain training. Remember, there is a heavy demand
for sites so contact Kids Voting as
early as possible!
Captains who are students are usually, but not always, in 10th grade or
older.
Here is an example of an Early Voting and Election Day schedule. Captains
will also earn hours for attending training, coordinating supplies and
volunteers, providing feedback and other duties.
What if I don't want to be a captain but still want to volunteer?
We are happy you want to volunteer. Precinct captains will schedule
individual volunteers to work at their sites. If captains need extra volunteers,
they contact the Kids Voting office. In mid-October, we may know of sites
needing extra volunteers. We also suggest that you ask the service coordinator
at your school - they may be aware of captains needing extra help. Volunteers
under the age of 12 require adult supervision. If you want to volunteer sometime
other than the election, we have lots of other opportunities.
Contact Kids Voting for more information.