Juniors Zoe Rabinowitz and her friend and Olivia Linscomb, who also worked the polls, pose for a picture after the polls had shut down for the day. By rule, no one is allowed to take photos of election clerks working while a polling station is open.

Student election clerks

November 2, 2020

Junior Zoe Rabinowitz is registered to be a student election clerk come Election Day. To apply, Rabinowitz filled out a basic application form and got permission from McCallum principal Nicole Griffith to miss school on Nov. 3 before the district made it a student holiday. Rabinowitz said that she was motivated to get involved when she heard that the usual election clerk staff is 65 and above, a high-risk group for being harmed by COVID-19.

“I had heard that a lot of the seniors had dropped out of being election clerks this year and that there was a big shortage,” Rabinowitz said, “and so I figured, especially amid all of the rumors and talk of the election being really unfair due to voter disenfranchisement, that I should do my part to contribute to making sure that people get to cast their votes.”

Rabinowitz feels an obligation to learn what she can about politics before coming upon voting age herself. “I guess every generation tends to think this way, but I feel like, particularly Gen Z is going to have, and be coming into, a lot of political power,” Rabinowitz said. “And just based on the polls and stuff that I’ve seen so far, Gen Z tends to be kind of more left-leaning, more towards social equality and protections for discriminated groups, so I want to learn as much as I can before I come to voting age so I can, right when I turn 18, start voting and being able to actually contribute to the movements that are important to me.”