Missouri Western State University is one of 13 institutions to receive funding to boost the number of students working at area polls on election days.

The $74,800 grant, one of the largest awards granted by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, will also allow Missouri Western to develop a curriculum on election law and how to run an election. The university will have the responsibility of sharing the curriculum with other schools in Missouri.

David Tushaus, assistant professor and chairman of the department of criminal justice and legal studies, said most people are unaware that elections are dependent on thousands of volunteers.

“It’s very important that we build into this system a number of volunteers who are willing and able to continue our democratic traditions,” he said, adding that the grant money will allow them to expand what they’re already doing at Western.

The university has provided volunteers at the polls as “problem solvers” since 2006. An average of 20 to 25 students volunteer in general elections, but Mr. Tushaus said he expects to see the number grow when they use the grant money to hire students to recruit other students.

“We think this is an important civic duty for students,” he said.

Pat Conway, Buchanan County clerk, said having the student presence at the polls adds another dimension to polling places, particularly in that they’re more technologically savvy than some of the election judges.

“Not only the volunteer part, but (students) actually perform very important functions at the polling place,” Mr. Conway said.

Western faculty will plan a curriculum where they’ll discuss the advancement and importance of suffrage and look at the current election laws. Mr. Conway and Mr. Tushaus also hope to expand the volunteer base to counties surrounding Buchanan.

The Election Assistance Commission took 71 applications for grants totaling five times the amount available, according to a news release. Western was the only university in Missouri to receive a grant. Other qualifying schools are located in New York, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, Colorado, Mississippi and Texas.

“I thought it was very impressive that the university could qualify and get the third or fourth largest grant,” Mr. Conway said. “For a university our size, I think that’s a major accomplishment.”

Jimmy Myers can be reached at jimmym@npgco.com