Anchorage schools join others around nation that will close on Election Day to make voting easier, more secure

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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.

14 COMMENTS

  1. And who will watch the children so their parents might have an opportunity to vote? Another good reason to vote early. Polls are open for in person voting , 8-5. Get it done.

  2. Seems like the issues are largely located in left of center communities.
    Progressive on progressive issues.

    Instead of continuing to deprive students of an admittedly bad public education, who not move the polls to places leftists are more comfortable in. Say, homeless shelters or needle exchange sites.

    It would have the benefit of making it easier to buy votes and stuff ballot boxes. A progressive candidate is trailing? No problem. Down at the needle exchange there are boxes and boxes of ballots (pre filled for leftist convenience) waiting. Just say how many.

    Just about everything the Founders warned us about is happening right in front of us. The progressives are making it happen and most of the so called conservatives are sitting back watching. Because acting is too hard.

    • Never let a complete lack of evidence of large amounts of voter fraud dissuade you from making such ridiculous claims. Never mind that there are people in tactical gear, masks and armed watching drop boxes and polling places for the sake of “election integrity” or that there are right-wing LEO’s asking people at drop boxes about what they’re doing. I WISH someone like that were present when I go to vote so I can give them an education on the 4th amendment. If people feel intimidated by such goons, I would encourage them to go ahead and do their civic duty anyway and dare those lunatics to infringe on their right to vote. I doubt the Founders would approve of such knuckle-dragging tactics.

      • Your lack of a knowledge of history is sad. But nowhere near as sad of your lack of a sense of 1) humor and 2) satire.

        Honorable mention goes to your lack of punctuation and composition skills.

        Possibly the worse of all the failings of progressives. The collective need of a spiritual enema.

      • If I didn’t have better things to do today, I’d take about 5 min and link to the historical accounts of examples from Chicago to Al Franken.

        To lecture anyone of the 4th Amendment would require understanding the 4th Amendment. The most consistent thing about leftists is their staggering ignorance of civics.

        Plus the risk such a move would run of the lecturer being turned over the poor victims knee and paddled.

    • It’s not that it’s too hard. It’s because we’re worn out, played out and not getting anywhere. No matter how hard we try, the leftists are relentless and in the end they will prevail just like the Chinese have. Time is on their side.

  3. Complicated issue for sure. Safety and security are key to our elections. Are there unintended consequences? Will more or less citizens vote? What about stay at home Moms & Dads that now are straddled with kids therefore more problematic to get out and vote? What about Anchorage school system being rated at the bottom, so one more day missing school shouldn’t matter.

  4. What rot.

    As this comes at the behest of the Dunleavy administration, it ought to the decision to vote for him into question. Of course, both Walker and Gara are worse. But still…….

    Cheers –

  5. Really? Schools closed for Election Day? Bring civics classes back to schools! And the a snow day? Flabbergasted
    Federal public schools at its best?

  6. If I remember correctly we used to do a mock election at school on Election Day with classes talking about the process.

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