Schools as Polling Places

As people gear up for election day, they'll be heading out to their polling location. Many schools are on the list of polling places-- 54 to be exact-- in Onondaga County. This brings up an interesting concern: is it safe to have school when crowds of unfamiliar people will be walking through the halls? 5 states mandate schools to close on election day, and in other places, it's up to the individual counties and even the individual school districts. Some schools where I'm from (the Chicago suburbs) are closed for election day.

But here in Onondaga County, the schools remain open. And as I found out today, the schools have it under control.

At Lincoln Middle School in Syracuse, voters will enter through the front door of the school, which leads them directly to the polls. Students have already been told to enter through the side doors. The polls only take up a small portion of a hallway that Principal Dean DeSantis says won't interfere with classes in session, and voters won't be allowed to go beyond the hallway sectioned off for voting.

A similar idea is at work at Nottingham High School, where voters will enter through the pool entrance-- one that is rarely used.

Everyone we talked to said they didn't have a problem with school being in session on election day, because they said they do everything they can to keep their students safe. Interestingly enough, the teacher I talked to at Lincoln Middle School said they also do everything they can to keep the students out of the way of the voters; they need to be concerned about them too.

But the principal at Lincoln brought up a good point: with their school as a polling place, students get to understand firsthand what it means to vote. It should be an interesting lesson for the students, especially with record number of voters expected at the polls tomorrow.