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Today, I visited three polling places...
Feb. 5th, 2008 11:05 pmThe good news is, I only voted in one of them.
I was in the other two polling places over the course of a normal workday. Had my schedule been a bit different, I could have been in three others. Elementary schools are polling places, and I do work in three of them.
It has been an interesting day for the schools. This is the first time in a long time that a primary has mattered here, and so the schools were bustling with people coming in to vote.
This made for some major inconveniences for the schools, which had to juggle voters with students while keeping everything separate and safe - an especially big issue in the schools where the voting booths were in the cafeteria. (The one where I vote has them in the gym. This makes things easier, as all the school needs to do is cancel gym for the day. It is much harder to cancel lunch.)
One of the assistant principals sent out an e-mail last week with the subject line, "help!" asking for people to volunteer to earn some extra money by giving up half of their lunch period to direct traffic and keep things safe. In at least one school, some students ate lunch in their classrooms, and students were not allowed to leave the classroom without an adult in at least two schools - not even to go to the bathroom. Voting also affected arrival and dismissal procedures, etc.
At first, I was thinking they should have closed school today. To have so many strangers allowed into the school who would normally not be allowed in seemed like a major security nightmare to me. Imagine if a sex offender wanted to vote! (though I am guessing they have to vote absentee if there is a vote in a school on a school day...) But the point is, it seemed a bit chaotic and worrisome.
Then, I watched the kids take notice. Children discussing the election with parents when they were picked up at dismissal. One student explaining to me who he would vote for. Having elections in the building while classes are in session is an amazing educational opportunity. It sends a message to students that voting is important, and that it is a big deal. It reminds me of when my mom took me with her to our polling place (also in a local public school) when I was a kid. It is a powerful memory. (As I have said before, I think I even got to pull the lever with/for her. I think of that every time I go to vote, every time I pull the lever. I will miss the lever when they switch over.)
Anyway, it made today feel that much different. And I thought, for all the chaos, that having a major primary on a school day was pretty cool.
I was in the other two polling places over the course of a normal workday. Had my schedule been a bit different, I could have been in three others. Elementary schools are polling places, and I do work in three of them.
It has been an interesting day for the schools. This is the first time in a long time that a primary has mattered here, and so the schools were bustling with people coming in to vote.
This made for some major inconveniences for the schools, which had to juggle voters with students while keeping everything separate and safe - an especially big issue in the schools where the voting booths were in the cafeteria. (The one where I vote has them in the gym. This makes things easier, as all the school needs to do is cancel gym for the day. It is much harder to cancel lunch.)
One of the assistant principals sent out an e-mail last week with the subject line, "help!" asking for people to volunteer to earn some extra money by giving up half of their lunch period to direct traffic and keep things safe. In at least one school, some students ate lunch in their classrooms, and students were not allowed to leave the classroom without an adult in at least two schools - not even to go to the bathroom. Voting also affected arrival and dismissal procedures, etc.
At first, I was thinking they should have closed school today. To have so many strangers allowed into the school who would normally not be allowed in seemed like a major security nightmare to me. Imagine if a sex offender wanted to vote! (though I am guessing they have to vote absentee if there is a vote in a school on a school day...) But the point is, it seemed a bit chaotic and worrisome.
Then, I watched the kids take notice. Children discussing the election with parents when they were picked up at dismissal. One student explaining to me who he would vote for. Having elections in the building while classes are in session is an amazing educational opportunity. It sends a message to students that voting is important, and that it is a big deal. It reminds me of when my mom took me with her to our polling place (also in a local public school) when I was a kid. It is a powerful memory. (As I have said before, I think I even got to pull the lever with/for her. I think of that every time I go to vote, every time I pull the lever. I will miss the lever when they switch over.)
Anyway, it made today feel that much different. And I thought, for all the chaos, that having a major primary on a school day was pretty cool.
