WESTHAMPTON — On Election Day, dozens of Hampshire Regional eighth graders took a hike up to the Westhampton polls to learn why the day is one of the most important for United States citizens.
The field trip was organized by two HRHS civics teachers who brought a total of eight, eighth-grade civics classes to Westhampton Town Hall on Tuesday, to see what the polls look like on Election Day and how the system works.
Chris Butler, one of the teachers who organized the trips with Marty Touchette, said he tries to teach all of his students two things. The first is that voting is a constitutionally protected right everyone should exercise. The second is that they should stay open to opinions different from their own, which ultimately helps them learn more.
“A lot of problems in our society would be solved if people understood their issues and that voting can change them,” Butler said. “This is how you can express your voice and make change.”
One by one, each class was shown where residents get their ballots, where they vote and what happens with the ballots after they are filled out. Butler even saved his time to vote to show one of the classes.
Westhampton Town Clerk Dan Gilbert walked the students through the process.
“Everything here is open to the public,” Gilbert said. “Your parents can watch, you can watch, anyone can watch.”
He added that under state law, people may take photos and video at polling locations but cannot record audio.
Gilbert explained that voters may vote only in the community where they live, and that they must be registered 10 days before Election Day to vote. That will soon change as voters on Tuesday approved Question 4 that calls for implementation of same-day voter registration at future elections.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, Gilbert told students that there has been an increase in early and mail-in voting. Mail-in voting ballots can be delivered to the polls up until the voting deadline at 8 p.m. in Westhampton.
Every ballot in Westhampton is counted by hand, Gilbert said, though that is not the case in many communities. Larger communities often use counting machines, which he said are highly accurate.
Gilbert and Butler said that everyone who works at polls is there to ensure a smooth election process and that the system works effectively.
“They care about democracy and doing the right thing,” Gilbert said about the poll workers.
Gilbert and Butler explained the two-party political and primary election systems to the students. They also talked about the state-mandated, 150-foot buffer that campaigners outside polling locations cannot infringe on, to allow voters to enter the location without being harassed.
Butler brought a tape measure so students could measure the distance for themselves.
One of the classes even had a chance encounter with an elected official, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, who was at the Westhampton polls on Tuesday with a family member who was voting. Sullivan took the time to talk to the students about the importance of voting.
“This is great, civics is so important,” Sullivan said about the field trip. “As always, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to vote and have your voice heard.”
