Grand Island program gives immigrants 'crash course' on city, nudges them to run for public office

Ekram Saleh sat in a classroom, surrounded by immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Sudan. They listened as the county's election commissioner talked about voting.

Here's how you can register, the commissioner said. Here's who represents your city council district. And also – Hall County needs poll workers to run every election.

Saleh was then a brand-new U.S. citizen, a Sudanese native who didn't know she could serve her new country by being a poll worker.

The next day, she went straight to the Department of Motor Vehicles and signed up as an election volunteer. In her first election, she hel...