Creating a 2004 School Plan – A Manual

Thank all voters outside every polling place on Election Day

Well over one hundred million Americans will vote on November 2nd. It is a goal of Freedom’s Answer that every single one of them be thanked personally for doing so by a Freedom’s Answer student outside every polling place in America. No single step will have a more far-reaching impact in identifying America’s newest generation with America’s oldest values.

It should be the goal of the Leadership Team in each school, and its designated volunteer heading up this polling place project, to make September contact (ideally by a student and an adult from the school) with the local election officials in the school’s community. The students are likely to be welcome but only if the election officials know they are coming and they live totally within the rules designated by the election officials. (For example, most states designate a certain distance that every non-voter must keep from the entrance and exit to the polling place.)

In the meeting with your local election officials you should find out what the rules of conduct are, the times the polls will open and close, and the exact location of all the polling places in the area of your school – or in other areas of the community that you believe may not be covered by other schools.

It is strongly recommended that your plan include:

• Teams of two students at all times at every polling place (so that in down times they can re-enforce one another).
  
• Shifts to replace every team of two every four hours.
  
• A certain system of transportation for all teams to and from the polling places.
  
• Specific principal and parental OK for the students to undertake the activity.
  
• Some Freedom’s Answer article of clothing that can be worn by all students so that they are identified with the program.
  
• Instruction sheets for all volunteers (downloaded here) to indicate what they should say to every voter once they come out of the polling booth (with no remarks made when they go in).
  
• Notice to the local media that this is happening.
  

Back to 2004 Action Plan