The Anchorage School District will close schools on Nov. 8, Election Day, at the request of the Alaska Division of Elections. The officially stated reason is that it will make voting easier and reduce pressure on the parking lots and school campuses at the 54 school voting locations in Alaska’s largest city.
Anchorage is not alone in closing schools to avoid voting day pressures. Schools in Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Richardson, Austin, and other schools in North Texas that are used for polling will be closed on Election Day due to safety concerns.
“Many North Texas schools will be closed Nov. 8 as districts navigate their roles as polling sites and the attendant safety risks in the wake of school shootings and threats to poll workers,” Axios reported. The influx of visitors during school hours poses security challenges, the news site reported.
Texas is especially concerned about security at schools after the Uvalde elementary school massacre occurred on the same day as a statewide runoff election in May.
Most schools in Wake County, North Carolina, will also close on Election Day, after a parents group concerned with safety made the request. Wake County is the home of Raleigh and has a population of more than one million people.
As far back as 2016, schools in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina closed on Election Day out of security concerns for students, teachers, and staff.
