Senior Aaron Akram said he had brushed aside his parent’s warning to expect a crowd of voters on Election Day.
However, with the line of voters extending to the streets near the end of his nearly 15-hour shift, Akram said he was impressed by the number of people interested in voting in his community.
“I would say [it took] one to two hours of waiting in line just to vote, so a lot of people were impatient.” the senior said. “It definitely shocked me.”
Assigned to work as a Student Customer Service Representative [CSR] for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election, the senior was a participant in the Orange County Registrar of Voters’ High School Student Volunteer Program.
“It was very beneficial for my understanding of not only when I vote in the future, but how the voting centers work,” he said. “I talked to some of the workers [and] they explained [how] to fill out certain information [on the ballots].”
Following the election, the Orange County Registrar of Voters rewarded participants with a $120 stipend and 19.5 volunteer hours.
“I had to pay my mom back on a gift, and with the rest [of the money], I spent it on Christmas shopping for my family,” Akram said.
Interested applicants had to be at least 16 years old by Election Day, have a minimum 2.5 GPA, be a United States citizen or permanent resident and have written approval from their school and guardians.
“The CSRs performed well on Election Day,” said Imelda Carrillo the Election Services Manager for the Orange County Registrar of Voters. “Student CSRs were adept to the tasks they were given and demonstrated a high level of teamwork by following directions and supporting the team where needed.”
Volunteers were expected to arrive by 6:30 a.m. and were at their assigned station until 9 p.m. with three scheduled breaks.
“I was tired,” Akram said. “But my motto throughout it was, ‘If I can’t handle 14 hours of helping people, then how am I gonna be successful in life?’”
Having posted the opportunity on Google Classroom for her four American Government classes on Thursday, Sept. 19, social science teacher Hera Kwon said most student participants had positive feedback when she followed up with them in her classes.
“It [was] a long day, but I think they all found it interesting to be a part of the process,” Kwon said. “The reason I encourage students to do this is when you’re older, even if you want to participate in something like this you really can’t because you have responsibilities.”
During their services, volunteers were responsible for greeting voters, managing lines and scanning votes.
“It was kind of monotonous because you do the same things over and over again but it was a really good experience,” junior Oriana Stocco-Guia said. “I feel like you know [elections] happen, but until you actually volunteer or participate, you don’t know how big of a scale it is.”
While Stocco-Guia said most voters were familiar with the balloting process, a minority required extra assistance.
“[I learned] a lot of customer service, and a little bit of getting out of my comfort zone because I had to yell at people,” the junior said. “It got annoying sometimes because you would have to repeat yourself a million times to the same person.”
Sophomore Hannah Oh also said the experience was a valuable opportunity to learn more about voting.
“I got to look at each step in the voting process, from dropping off votes and applying as a new voter,” Oh said. “So when I come to the age to vote, I think I will be able to easily understand how to vote and what steps it takes.”
The Orange County Registrar of Voters plans on offering the High School Student Volunteer Program for the June 2, 2026, Primary Elections, and outreach will be conducted to notify students of the opportunity said Carrillo.
Reflecting on her experience, Oh said she would recommend the program to students interested in learning more about civic engagement.
“I felt proud of myself and was proud of my decision to participate,” Oh said. “If I have the chance to, I can see myself doing this again.”
