South High School senior, poll worker balances classes with passion for politics

CHEYENNE - South High senior Deanna Davis spent Tuesday morning before class working at the polls at the Laramie County Governmental Complex.

At just 17 years old, Davis is making big strides toward a future in politics. This year, she's the youngest poll worker in Laramie County, and next year, she'll be headed to the University of Wyoming to study political science and communication, eventually aiming to get her law degree.

Davis is more than just a poll worker, though. She's also your typical, caffeine-loving teenager with a ton of passions. She's involved in her church, playing the bass guitar and drum set for her worship team. She's also the student body president at South High and helps coach the We the People team on top of being involved in speech and debate.

Her journey to becoming a poll worker actually began with her speech and debate class. She joined the class as a freshman, which led her to AP Government/We the People her sophomore year, where she learned about Girls State and Girls Nation, which is a civic training program run by the American Legion Auxiliary.

Girls State participants spend a week at Laramie County Community College, going through the local government process. Then, out of everyone that participates in Girls State, the committee picks the top two to go to Girls Nation in Washington, D.C., for a week, where they learn civics education on a more federal level.

Davis was one of 100 high school seniors selected to go to Girls Nation in July. There, she was appointed to represent Wyoming as a "senator" and participated in mock Senate sessions, complete with caucuses, and debated bills that ranged from personal to political interests.

"I think (what interests me the most) is the process. ... Politics is a very intense process, and a lot of people have a lot of different opinions," Davis said. "I think it's really cool to be able to learn as much as you can so that you can have those conversations with people and make connections."

Following her trip to D.C., as Davis was driving back to Cheyenne from the Denver airport with her dad, Dominic Davis, she found herself inspired to be more involved in the community politically. So, her dad encouraged her to look into poll work and election judging.

"I think it's fantastic that she's taken an interest in it. I've been involved with Laramie County's elections for the past 15 years, and I think our county does it better than anybody," Dominic said. "So, when she had questions, it was nice to be able to talk to her about how we do it versus other people. ... The best way to learn is by doing, and she's (doing it)."

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, either, because Davis's dad is the assistant IT director for Laramie County, while her mom is also a poll worker. Her parents, as well as her grandparents and aunts, all participated in speech and debate, too, when they were in school.

"My dad and I talk about politics and law a lot, so I've always kind of known about the election process, and then the fact that my mom wanted to be a poll worker, as well, this year kind of helped me get into it (more). My parents are a huge support with anything I want to do," said Davis.

In Wyoming and many other states, high school students can be poll workers as long as they're 16 or older. In order to serve as an election judge, you have to either contact the county chairman of your major or minor political party or contact your county clerk or municipal clerk, which is exactly what Davis did when she turned her form into Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee.

Before she went through training in late summer, Davis said she was a little bit blind to the process.

"I didn't really know what to expect. I honestly expected to be busy all day, but it was pretty chill for the (primary election). ... But I work at the second-busiest site that we have, so that's going to be intense," said Davis. "The training was really fun, though. They gave us snacks and pretty much just showed us how to check people in."

In addition to check-in duties, Davis's job includes making sure voters know where they're going and what they're doing. Like every other poll worker, she's there to make sure everything runs smoothly, and everyone stays civil.

Although they try to make the voting process as clear as possible, there's still some missteps that happen. Davis explained that sometimes people feel like they don't necessarily have to show their ID at polling sites, but stressed how important that step is to avoid things like voter fraud. She also said she feels that a lot of people think the elections are insecure due to the use of electronic voting machines. However, in the past 24 years, Wyoming has only seen three cases of voter fraud.

"Back in August, when we first did the voting, one of the most unforeseen circumstances for me was trying to register people. Just because it kind of takes a little bit of time, and then the line gets really long, and you're trying to get through everybody ... (that) and also just people getting upset," said Davis. "There's been a couple of times where we've had to ask people to move their campaigning materials because they're too close (to the voting location)."

Since starting at the polls, Davis has learned how easy it is to get involved, and how a lot of people don't know what actually goes on behind the scenes. The job also helped her get connected with the Cheyenne League of Women Voters, where she is the youngest member.

"I feel like I surprise a lot of people (with my job), too. I've had a lot of people come up to me and ask if I'm old enough to vote, and unfortunately, I'm not, but I can still check them in and stuff," said Davis. "A lot of people don't realize that (people my age) can do that because Laramie County's never had a student (poll worker) before. ... It's really easy to get involved, though."