Allyson Chee is making her first trip to a voting booth today at the age of 17. She and her triplet brothers are helping run the election at a Franklin County precinct.

The three Chees are among a record number of high-school seniors whose civic lesson for the day is to work at a poll from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Allyson, Justin and Michael will work at the Northwest Chapel in Dublin as part of Youth at the Booth.

The program started in 2005 after two Columbus high-school students decided their peers needed to become hooked on voting. The first group numbered 189. This election, 1,258 of the 4,200 workers at Franklin County polls are from Youth at the Booth.

Franklin County has the largest number of students working at polls, though the program is offered in other Ohio counties, said Jeff Cabot, executive director of the parent organization, Kids Voting Central Ohio.

The high-school seniors are a huge help, and a favorite of older poll workers, said Matt Damschroder, deputy director of the Franklin County Board of Elections.

"These students are not scared of the technology," he said. The kids also are hardy enough to stand and operate the voting machines all day, allowing older poll workers to sit at the registration tables.

"It also helps us get enough poll workers," Damschroder said.

Youth at the Booth began as an assignment in an advanced-placement government class at Columbus Alternative High School.

Shannon Hardin and Tyneisha Harden were told to find a way to change the world. They say the assignment changed them.

Today, still best friends, the 22-year-olds plan careers in public service. Hardin, who will graduate in May from Morehouse College in Atlanta, worked this summer on the successful campaign to raise Columbus' income tax.

Harden, a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, works for a Boston nonprofit that helps struggling students finish high school. She plans to attend law school.

"The project truly helped me set a foundation in public service," Shannon Hardin said. The two friends teamed up with Kids Voting to get Ohio law changed: Seniors who are 17 can work the polls and get class credit. Those underage, however, still can't vote.

"It took off beyond what any of us expected," Tyneisha Harden said.

Deborah Koch, project coordinator for Youth at the Booth, said students leave with a better understanding of elections and a new sense of citizenship.

Allyson, a senior at Dub- lin Coffman High School, is looking forward to working today.

"I think getting that experience will make me want to volunteer again," she said. "I've already learned more about the voting process and how much goes into it."

bcarmen@dispatch.com