Most students in West Haven will stay home from school on Election Day, but for 48 high schoolers, it's a class day.
Students taking Advanced Placement Government and Politics are required to volunteer with a political campaign and work at least two hours when the polls open.
"Doing lit drops, canvassing, making phone calls, doing stuff at headquarters, boiler room activities – that's American politics," said Mark Consorte, who has taught the class since 1997.
When Consorte began teaching, campaign offices would feature banks of telephones. Now a volunteer at the Democratic headquarters in West Haven, student Destiny Halapin uses her own smartphone to make calls.
"It's a lot of talking to the people and trying to be like, 'What are your views here?'" she explained.
Another student, Kendall Griffiths, has worked closely with a Republican candidate for the state legislature in Orange, logging data from the most recent canvassing on a laptop.
"Honestly, even if it wasn't required, I probably would have come out," Griffiths said. "It's just something that I like to do.