Lebanon High students credited with expanding bilingual poll-worker program across county

Keith Rolon, cooperative education teacher at Lebanon High School, and student representatives described a program that places high-school students at polling locations to assist voters and gain civic experience.

Rolon told commissioners the program aims "to expose students to our fair and free elections" and to provide bilingual assistance to voters who need translation help; he said many student volunteers are Spanish speakers and that the initiative helps both civic engagement and voter access. Students who worked the polls described positive experiences, saying they met many people and gained confidence in their language skills.

County officials praised the program. One official described Lebanon City's model as drawing state-level attention and said the department has asked about expanding the effort to other counties. Meeting participants reported 33 students involved in a recent municipal election (then later cited as 47 students including participants from other districts such as Cedar Crest and Our Lady of the Cross for the most recent election cycle).

"It was my first year, and I also liked it," said one student, describing how the experience changed perceptions about the voting process. Commissioners thanked the students and teachers for volunteering and encouraged continued expansion and inter-district collaboration.

The board recognized the program formally in its meeting; no policy action or funding request accompanied the presentation.