Nov. 4, 2025 — It’s Election Day for some cities around the country, and the majority of Lakewood High School students are still cozied up in bed, excited for their day off from school. Meanwhile, a select few students have been awake since 5 a.m. Why would they do this to themselves? They are working the polls.

These students were randomly selected by Lakewood High School’s government teacher to help out at the polls during the election. Working the entire day from 5:30 a.m. to around 8 p.m., the experience doesn’t sound incredibly appealing at first. Luckily, these students get paid generously for their hard work and sacrifice; the amount even jumped to $220 this year.

This program, called Future of Democracy, began “around 2008,” said Lakewood High School government teacher Ron Lewis. The original goal was to get younger, high-school-age students to start participating in and learning more about democracy and their country.

They could get the true voting experience and also gain some insight into how the polls actually worked. The poll sites also were beginning to realize that, with the new electronic voting system, it would be helpful to have some younger brains around. It was a win-win idea for everyone.

This election, held on Nov. 4, was nothing huge — simply a few local issues and people placed on the general election ballot. Even though it is a simple election, the people helping out at the polls have their work cut out for them.

Yet they are always up to the challenge and willing to work hard so democracy can continue in Lakewood, Ohio. “These people are either retirees or they’re high school kids, but they all come together to allow us to do this thing,” Lewis said.

A day at the polls is no doubt a long one, but these students are kept busy. Due to the three-hour training course that they are required to sit through before working this job, they “get an opportunity to experience each and every station, what it takes to make the election work, make it happen,” Joyce T., the manager of the polls at Cudell Recreation Center, said.

There is the provisional table for voters who might need help confirming eligibility, the check-in table to assign voters their ballots, and many other little jobs to just help voters in any way they might need. Charlotte Reed, a senior at Lakewood High School who helped out at Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland, said, “I’ve just been a greeter, so it’s saying hello and welcome to people and then directing them to where they should go.” This might sound like a simple job, but it is an incredibly important one that helps the whole operation run flawlessly.

The students were given any breaks they needed, as well as a one-hour lunch, but other than that, they worked throughout the entire 13 hours that the polls were open. This is a workday that not many adults even have to endure, let alone 17- and 18-year-old students.

The other workers, mostly retirees who are interested in helping out, as well as the voters themselves, truly appreciate the effort that these students put into everything that they do. Their services do not go unnoticed.

“It’s been nice when people compliment us for standing and smiling,” said Reed. Seeing a friendly face as they go in to cast their ballots can sometimes make all the difference in a person’s voting experience. The voters, the majority of whom were elderly, also seemed pleasantly surprised to see the faces of the younger generation helping out and showing interest, giving them hope for the future of our country.

The impact of this program is nearly unmatched. Students are able to experience the inner workings of an election and learn exactly what goes on, which hopefully encourages them to get out and do their part for democracy in the future. They learn that elections are incredibly strict processes, that if anything goes wrong, you have to start from the beginning to make sure every vote is valid and every voice is heard. Joyce T. said, “I believe that it’s each one, teach one, we learn through our experiences, and we also are a great team.”

​These workers operate as a team, a family. They work together to ensure that the day runs smoothly, and the students from Lakewood High School play a huge role in this. The Future of Democracy program gives students the opportunity to participate in an election before they can even vote, and that knowledge is priceless. “My hope is that they’re becoming more informed citizens,” said Lewis, and indeed, these students are.