Schools as polling places?

[ett]

Our schools are polling places and school is in session today.

[anonomom]

Several schools in my county are polling places, including our middle school. It never occurred to me to worry about it at all until suddenly we had a two-hour delay this morning. I guess I don't see it as much of an issue. I'd rather vote in a school than in a church (speaking of which, I poll-greeted at a church today and they had religious music blaring out of speakers in front of the voting entrance. I'm sure it was totally well-meaning, but it was a little odd).

[SnuggleBuggles]

Our school expanded to a second location and until then school usually was in session while voting was happening. The polls were in an isolated section of the school (gym) that had its own entrance/ exit. Everything was kept separate. But, the second location was also a polling location and they needed the cafeteria for voting. Impossible to manage with kids in the building. There was no way to keep the students separate due to layout either. So, no school on election day. They use it for parent teacher conferences, which works great!

[NCGrandma]

I'd rather vote in a school than in a church (speaking of which, I poll-greeted at a church today and they had religious music blaring out of speakers in front of the voting entrance. I'm sure it was totally well-meaning, but it was a little odd).

I definitely agree! I never heard religious music, but always found it very odd and uncomfortable to vote at a church. I’m really glad that I now vote at my CCRC — we're a satellite precinct of the main precinct in our neighborhood, so only our CCRC residents vote here and there’s a nice community feel. (And we always get a terrific turnout — before lunch, about 50% of our registered voters had already voted, plus another 25% had done early voting.)


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[JamiMac]

The middle school by us is a polling place. They have only the gym open to voters and it’s closed off from the rest of the school. Schools are open today, but only 3 of the 17 middles schools in our district are polling places, so I don’t think they’d close just a few.


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[AngB]

Our school expanded to a second location and until then school usually was in session while voting was happening. The polls were in an isolated section of the school (gym) that had its own entrance/ exit. Everything was kept separate. But, the second location was also a polling location and they needed the cafeteria for voting. Impossible to manage with kids in the building. There was no way to keep the students separate due to layout either. So, no school on election day. They use it for parent teacher conferences, which works great!

I think this is the biggest thing that bothers me about it. There were kids walking down the hall literally within feet of us, it's not separate at all. Voting is in the library, which is in the front/middle of the school so voters don't actually walk through the whole school or anything that bad, but there is no way it can be considered separate. (One of them actually called out "vote for XXX!" which made me happy that they at least knew who was running but someone mentally unhinged could have easily attacked them.) The gym is a good idea if nothing else. I am pretty sure that in 2016 they had a professional development day so kids were off school but teachers worked (they have like 100 professional development days a year.) My guess is they didn't expect a huge turnout this year. Our conferences were just 2 weeks ago so that would make sense as well. I am going to work on figuring out the right people to contact but I think any of these alternatives would be tremendously safer then the current arrangement. I am also not sure how many other buildings in our district are used as polling places.

[AnnieW625]

Our elementary schools are polling places and we are here at school today. The polling is in the auditorium, so people enter and exit through there, and are not on campus.

That is how it is in my area as well. Most schools K-5, and the middle schools 6-8 have large auditoriums that can easily be a polling place.


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[squimp]

Voting in my state is 100% distributed by mail ballots, so no polls, no lines, no hassle. It's 20 years now! I took my ballot to the drop off box. It is great, high voter turnout and no obstacles. Wonder why doesn't the rest of the country doesn't do it.

[vonfirmath]

I think we may have discussed this last election season but just making a new topic in case other areas have updated.

Are there other places around the country that use schools as polling places, while kids are in school? Is it only certain age levels..ie. middle schools or any? Are you/would you be comfortable sending your child to school with random people walking in to vote all day?

Most of the school districts in our area are off today, but ours isn't. Not an issue for me right now because our particular elementary school is not a polling place. The middle school--that they will eventually go to-- is our polling place though and covers a pretty vast area. I went today at 9:30 and the line was longer then I've ever seen it (including the presidential election.) There was a police car in front of the building (presumably the school resource officer is my guess), but the entire time I was in line and then voting I didn't see any law enforcement or security once. In between class periods there were middle schoolers walking by in the hall. I'm glad they get the chance to see people voting but the security risks make me incredibly uneasy. I have many years before this is an actual issue for my particular children (and I am comfortable with just keeping them home for the day); but it still seems like a huge safety risk for those kids. The doors are locked normally and anyone entering has to show id before they unlock it. Today the doors were unlocked and no one asked for id until you were getting your ballot.

I am contemplating making a casual comment to the district admin but was wondering if this is the norm in most other areas as well, and if anyone else would be concerned.

My kids elementary school used to be a polling place during part of the time my son was there.

It did not concern me. They kept the kids and the voters away from each other and had people stationed to make sure the two did not mix.

In Washington state, my polling place used to be the local elementary school. It was all held in the Gym (Separate building) So I never saw a kid while voting.

[TwinFoxes]

Here, for general elections schools are closed. For primary/special elections they're usually closed. In 2016 parents insisted that the schools needed to be closed for the primary, so the county caved. It was clear they didn't need to be closed. This year it was back to schools being open for primary days and closed on general election days (today.)