Bismarck High Schoolers Work the Polls on Election Day

Bismarck High Schoolers Trade Study Hall for the Polls — and Get a Front-Row Seat to Democracy

If you cast a ballot in Bismarck on Tuesday, there was a real chance the person checking you in hadn’t graduated high school yet. A handful of local students got an excused absence from class to take over the polls, and they say running an election is a lot cooler than it looks on paper.

KFYR reported that the students spent Election Day holding down a job that turns civics lessons into hands-on practice — swapping study hall and history notes for ID checks and voter check-ins.

The gig came to Owen Engelhart after a nudge from his dad, an election judge who thought it would be a neat experience. Owen jumped in as an election clerk, and checking IDs, he says, beats standard classwork any day.

Bismarck high schoolers learn about elections firsthand

“I get to meet all these cool people. It’s just kind of showing me an insight at how this process really works and how like voting really is,” said Owen Engelhart, election clerk. “That’s pretty cool.”

Connections Open the Door — But the Door Is Open to Anyone 16 and Up

Just a few feet away, Conner and Kaedyn Wangler were also running the show after their parents connected them with election coordinators. For 17-year-old high school senior Conner, the perks go way beyond reading about democracy in a book.

“I think that this definitely gives us some deeper insight into the election process,” Conner said. “Of course, what you need to vote, the eligibility requirements. But also what it’s like to be here and be a voter and the opportunities you have.”

Kaedyn, a 17-year-old senior at Century High School, sees working behind the desk as proof that young people don’t have to wait on the sidelines.

“Of course there’s that aspect that it informs you as to how voting works in North Dakota and in your district,” Kaedyn said. “But I think bigger than that, it fosters a sense of actually caring about your civic duty.”

Here’s the part that matters most for anyone reading this who knows a teenager: the students all agree they shouldn’t have needed an inside connection to find out about the opportunity. In North Dakota, students 16 and older can sign up to work the polls — the route in is simply reaching out to your local county auditor’s office.

Why This Matters Right Now

Conner put it plainly — the job shows what you need to vote and what it feels like to be a voter. Kaedyn took it a step further, framing the experience as civic duty in practice rather than a textbook definition. Owen’s take was simpler and just as telling: meeting people and seeing the process up close is pretty cool.

All three hope their busy shift inspires classmates to show up, grab a sticker, and make their own voices heard.

Any student 16 or older in North Dakota can claim one by contacting the local county auditor’s office.