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LAS CRUCES - At age 16, Adam Alberson can't legally vote. But thanks to a new law, he was among the more than 500 poll workers who ran Do-a Ana County's election in November.
Alberson, who also worked in the primary election, was among the first-ever teen poll workers in the state of New Mexico.
"I enjoyed it, just learning so much more about politics," said Alberson, who's home-schooled. "I had taken classes and stuff, but I'd never gotten much hands-on, learning about the exact elections process."
A law change that took effect this year authorized 16- and 17-year-olds to become poll workers. Previously, applicants had to be at least 18 and registered voters.
Wednesday, Alberson was one of 65 teenage poll workers recognized by the county clerk's office for their work in the Nov. 2 election. About 25 of them showed up at the Do-a Ana County Government Center to receive a framed certificate.
Though 42 other states allowed teen poll workers before New Mexico, some county clerks and lawmakers were skeptical about the proposal when it was first put forward in 2008, said Do-a Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins.
"There were a lot of critics because they thought kids had no business being in the business of elections, which, of course, has been proven totally wrong," he said.
Ellins said about 25 teens worked in the primary election, and no problems occurred. So "in the general election, we went to the full-court press" and recruited poll workers from the schools.
Adam's
"It's a great opportunity for the kids to get involved in the government process and to be a good citizen," she said. "It helps them look outside themselves and realize they are part of America and they do have the responsibility to get involved."
Continued Alberson: "I also think it's encouraging for the other poll workers to see the young people participating and also for the young people to learn from the older people."
Ellins said, after checking with other large counties, that he believes Do-a Ana County had the most teen poll workers. He said presiding judges reported no problems, and "presiding judges can be very critical."
Teens handled the duty well, Ellins said.
"It's a tough job. You've got to be there at 6 in the morning, and you leave maybe at 9 at night," he said. "It's not just sitting around watching people vote."
Chanteall Sanchez, 16, of Las Cruces said she worked at Highland Elementary School during the general election, after her father, a county employee, gave her an application to sign up. She said she mostly wanted to earn the $125 paycheck.
Sanchez said idea that teen employees wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility was "pretty ridiculous." She said she had no trouble.
Ellins said there's another advantage to hiring from a younger generation: Elections rely increasingly on technology, and teens are technologically savvy.
Adam Alberson said working in the primary election was "a little trickier" because he disagreed with the presiding judge of his precinct about how to carry out the voter ID rule, but overall the job went smoothly.
Will he be a poll worker again?
"Oh yeah, I'll do it for quite a while," he said. "Somebody has got to do it, and it was actually fun for me."
Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.
On the Web
• Do-a Ana County: www.donaanacounty.org
