Principal Clinton Alexander was the first voter to cast a ballot at Homewood-Flossmoor High School on Thursday, Feb. 26, and he wasn’t the last. 

The polling place was set up in the Viking Room with student election judges helping student and staff voters. The judges on duty at 11 a.m. — Aiden Binion, Sarah Owolabi, Noah Skipper and Braneya Harris — said they had helped a number of voters during the morning session.

H-F was one of 24 high schools in suburban Cook County to participate in Defenders of DA’mocracy, a new project of the county clerk’s office with support from the Chicago Bears. 

Any current student who is 18 years old or will turn 18 on or before Nov. 3 was eligible to vote early. Registered school staff and faculty were also able to use the high school polling place. 

Carla Erdey, District 233 director of communications and community engagement, said 35 students signed up to help manage voting. She said about 700 students would be eligible to vote if they chose to.

Alexander said he was pleased H-F students could participate in the project, which gives them a chance to put into practice the lessons they’ve learned in social science classes by participating in the democratic process.

”I spoke with the kids about using their voice,” he said. “I said, ‘If you don’t use your voice to activate your vote, someone else will use theirs. You’ll allow someone else to make that decision.’ I talked about that being the simplest and powerful way to really support your community.”

At a news conference Thursday afternoon at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Bremen School District 228 Social Studies Supervisor Ryan Nagle introduced Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon. He noted that District 228 had about 1,500 students across its four high schools who met the age requirements to vote. Each school had 20 students serving as election judges.

Gordon said the new program might be the first of its kind in the nation. 

“Our work is not only about the administration of elections, it is also about strengthening the future of our democracy,” she said. “That is why we created the High School Early Voting Defenders of DA’mocracy program you are seeing in action today. This is not a mock election. This is not a classroom simulation. This is real voting happening in real time.” 

She said 126 students were trained and certified as election judges. They performed the same tasks any election judge would, checking in voters, issuing ballots and operating official voting equipment. 

In a news release Friday morning, Gordon’s office reported 1,136 ballots were cast Thursday at the 24 high school polling sites.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the student voter turnout for this first-of-its-kind program,” said Clerk Monica Gordon. “The participating schools were filled with energy and enthusiasm, and we have now established a voting model for students that will continue to grow and thrive in future elections.”

During the news conference Thursday, Gordon was flanked by four members of the Joliet Area South Suburban Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, which she said was a key partner in developing the project, including Tasha Gibson White, Natalie Watson, Deadra Woods Stokes and Bose Clodfelter.

Stokes spoke to the organization’s reason for getting involved in the project to further its mission to support voter education. She said young people’s lives are affected by decisions made at the local government level.

“If decisions affect them, they deserve a seat at the table,” she said, noting that the project provides students an opportunity to step into leadership roles. “Leadership doesn’t just start after graduation. Leadership starts with awareness. Leadership starts with participation, and with the courage to use your voice.”

“Research consistently shows that when individuals participate in their first eligible election, they are far more likely to remain engaged voters for life,” said Gordon.

Gordon said the program could bolster the democratic process in other ways, too. For one thing, it could help restore trust in the voting process.

“That is a huge concern,” she said. “I think participating in the process, seeing it firsthand, seeing how it’s run, seeing how secure our elections are … that helps combat that misinformation and disinformation that erodes the trust and confidence in our elections.” 

Also, election officials in recent years have found it increasingly difficult to recruit enough poll workers. Giving high school students the experience might encourage them to stay involved after graduation, helping to replenish the pool of potential election judges, Gordon said.