W e all know the traits of a proper bobcat. They leap 12 feet to catch prey. They can see in the dark and run 30 miles per hour. They’re extremely territorial.

Now we can add another characteristic to the tufted-eared, bob-tailed cat: Taking responsibility for the management and duties of a voting precinct.

Five Georgia College & State University Bobcats did exactly that at polling locations in two counties during Tuesday’s Georgia Primary Elections.

 

“Five students in two counties—that’s awesome,” said Claire Sanders, senior lecturer of political science and public administration.

Sanders oversees the university’s Election Administration Certificate, which began in 2022. Georgia College administers the state’s first and only election certificate. Few schools in the nation offer one.

“I saw firsthand their leadership and problem-solving skills,” Sanders said. “They weren’t sitting on the sidelines with their internships—they were in the trenches and doing the heavy lifting of election administration.”

“They demonstrated leadership, critical thinking skills and the ability to work as a team with the common goal of ensuring a smooth election process,” she said.

 

Two recent graduates acted as managers at polling precincts in Jones County. Two rising seniors majoring in political science were poll workers. A Jones County poll worker was also present at both locations.

They were among about 8,000 officials and 100,000 poll workers throughout the United States who administer elections.

•    Georgia College’s first Truman Scholar and recent graduate Colin Hall of Jones County helped his hometown by managing the James Fire Department Station 4 precinct. He was joined in his polling duties by senior Lauren Trinkwalder of Flowery Branch, Georgia.
•    Recent graduate Nicholas Wimbish of Milledgeville managed a precinct at the Jones County Senior Center with senior Emily Lanham of Augusta, Georgia.
•    A fifth student, sophomore political science major Mia Simmons of Gainesville, Georgia, was a poll worker at the Oakwood II precinct in Hall County.

Being trusted to run a voting precinct is immense responsibility—especially for college students.

Marion Hatton has been the elections superintendent in Jones County for about 25 years. This was the first time officials there let college students run a precinct.

They helped ensure all machines worked properly and reviewed voting data from Georgia’s Secretary of State. 

 

On election day, they arrived at precincts around 5:30 a.m. to set up. As people arrived, they checked IDs and addresses, handed voters their party ballots, directed them to an open booth and ensured votes were securely scanned.

“They are still working with us as we speak. They’re great, just fantastic. They’re part of our team now,” Hatton said. “It’s unusual for me to see young people able to do the work with knowledge about elections and the law. We didn’t have to babysit them.”

In May, Georgia College students also “pretty much conducted all the early voting” in Jones County, Hatton said, leaving her time to tend to other matters.

Will she continue using Georgia College students in the future?

“Yes, please,” Hatton said.

The Election Administration Certificate is a big reason students can handle accountability.

Hall was the first to complete and earn the certificate. 

 

On election day, Wimbish, Trinkwalder and Lanham finished their last 120 hours of polling and voting administrative work needed for the certificate. 

Other requirements include taking courses on topics like the U.S. Constitution, election laws, policymaking, democracy and Southern politics. Research transforms the learning experience, along with internships in local and state government.

“The internship hours are perhaps the most important part of the certificate program,” Sanders said. “Watching the students out in the field—taking on leadership roles and developing expertise in how to conduct an election—confirmed there is no substitute for that kind of experience.”

 

This week was Hall’s third time as a poll worker in Jones County and first time assisting as manager. The experience gave him a “newfound respect” for civic duty and the role election officials and poll workers “play in protecting and fostering democracy.”

 

Soon, Hall will begin a summer internship with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), then seek fulltime employment in the political arena of Washington, D.C.

He credits his education at Georgia College for preparing him so well and Jones County election officials for their trust.

“The Jones County Board of Elections and superintendent have a bright vision for the next generation becoming civically involved with the process,” Hall said. “Americans need to step up to the plate when they hit 18 and become adults and contribute to their country.”

Wimbish is a double bobcat. He started earning his master’s in public administration as an undergraduate. In May, he graduated with a degree in political science and minor in rhetoric. He’d like to teach in the future or get a job managing elections.

 

Coming to Georgia College, Wimbish knew there’d be opportunity to practice book learning in real-world settings—but he feels he got “a whole lot more.”

“I aimed for a well-rounded experience within my department and throughout my time in college,” Wimbish said. “I thought this certificate would be a way to add personal and academic value to my experiences."

"It’s been great to explore a potential career path in this field. I never realized the true meaning of this work and that it’s something I could make a career out of, until I met Professor Claire Sanders,” he said.

He knows democracy can break down due to human error. When he was named poll manager, in charge of a precinct in Jones County, Wimbish said it put him “on the edge.”

He didn’t want anything to go wrong.

But he said the experience was “a huge success.” He and Lanham, his precinct partner, are eager to go back for the U.S. Presidential Election in November.

As election officials age—some are in their 70s Wimbish said—more young people are needed.

“I was honored to be a part of it,” he said. “Working any election in any capacity—whether for an internship or not—is a crowning moment. The sense of achievement, being a part of democracy-in-action, is rewarding.”

Lanham’s father got her interested in politics early on. If you want to be governed by people you like, he said, “you have to take time to cast your vote.” 

 

Her experience this week emphasized his wisdom and helped her value freedom even more. She plans to get a master’s after college, work in Washington, D.C. and do her part to protect democracy.

Like an adult who lets go of a baby taking its first steps, Jones County officials were confident enough in Georgia College students to step back.

Lanham was grateful for the chance to lead.

“The trust between election officials and us students was built during early voting,” she said. “They gradually trusted us with more and more as the weeks went by. Before the election, they had Lauren and I securing ballots, marking devices and preparing supply bags for the precincts.”

Like Lanham, Trinkwalder was nervous beforehand. She didn’t know if she’d be able to remember all the rules and regulations. She wanted voters to have a good experience.

When the time came, however, she realized how well she was prepared. She looks forward to doing it again in November.

“I learned a lot more goes into voting and the civic process,” Trinkwalder said. “In order to maintain safe and stable elections, everyone from volunteer to poll worker, has to be involved with an all-hands approach.