Election Day is day off for Alverno students, faculty and staff

MILWAUKEE -- Students, faculty and staff at Alverno College in Milwaukee will have the day off on Tuesday, November 6th for Election Day.

In a statement, Alverno officials said the day off is an effort to allow Alverno students, faculty and staff the opportunity to "practice effective citizenship -- one of the College’s eight trademark abilities."

Additionally, 200 students will train to serve as poll workers ahead of the election. 

All positions are paid, including a stipend for training, and require poll workers to work half- or full-day shifts.  Poll worker responsibilities include greeting voters, verifying voters’ polling sites, registering new voters, assisting the chief election inspector at each site, handing out ballots, check-in, handling voting machines, helping to maintain traffic flow at the sites and other related tasks

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission awarded Alverno a grant to train students as poll workers for the upcoming elections. The grant is one of only 15 awarded nationally in a competition that drew more than 200 proposals. It is helping Alverno and the Milwaukee Election Commission recruit and train students – including several Spanish-speaking students – to help in election activities and create materials for the upcoming election, along with future poll worker recruitment programs.

This is the third time Alverno has offered poll worker training sessions on campus. The first was for the 2008 presidential election.

Alverno was also closed on presidential Election Day in November 2008 to encourage all members of the Alverno community to be more involved in the political process.