SMHS Seniors volunteer as Election Day clerks

A group of San Marcos High School seniors received hands-on experience with the voting process during Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Eleven SMHS seniors– Jasmine Biesenbach, Brisha Canahuati, Nathaniel Cavazos, Mason Groves, Emily Guerrero, Adigheji Ifowodo, Zelda Kneese, Sydney McGill, Bryan Perez, Natalia Rosales and Ruby Wilsford–worked as election clerks across multiple polling locations in San Marcos.

The group chose to volunteer after U.S. history teachers, Taylor Hardy and Adam Wagner, offered them the opportunity to serve as election clerks.

Hardy said this marks the fourth year SMHS students have volunteered at the polls.

“It’s such a great opportunity for them to work with the election clerks and to expose them to the voting process and try to get them to do this in the future and get paid as a real job,” Hardy said. “They usually come back pretty excited and have some good stories.”

Wagner said it’s a great real-world opportunity to participate in the election process, “as opposed to just reading about it or talking about it in school.” Several students said seeing the voting process in action makes them excited about casting their own ballots when they turn 18.

“I’ve never really been around the voting polls, so I wanted to see what everything was about and how voting went down before I went and voted myself,” Wilsford said.

Canahuati said volunteering as an election clerk has actually helped relieve any anxiety she had about voting in the future.

“I was actually very anxious about voting,” said Canahuati. “That it was going to be this really long and complicated process, like I would need help to do. But then coming and seeing it in person and helping out with the process, I actually saw that it’s really not that difficult.”

By getting hands-on experience as election clerks, multiple students said they realize how important it is to vote.

“Voting is a good way to voice your opinion in the nation you’re living in,” Biesenbach said.

Added Kneese, “I think it’s very important for people to be able to vote, so seeing the turnout and everybody who’s registered to vote and actually takes time out of their day to come and vote to come and vote to better our city, I think it’s great.”

Eleven San Marcos High School seniors received hands-on experience with the voting process during Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Students were stationed at the city of San Marcos Public Library, the Hays County Election Center at its new location and at other polling sites in the county. Among the students participating are Jasmine Biesenbach, Brisha Canahuati, Nathaniel Cavazos, Adigheji Ifowodo, Zelda Kneese, Sydney McGill, Natalia Rosales and Ruby Wilsford. Photo provided by SMCISD