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Parent urges VISD to stop using school campuses as active polling locations during school hours
Summary
A Victoria parent told the school board that while voting is essential, using school campuses as polling places during instructional hours poses safety and disruption risks and urged the district to adopt policies limiting voting to times when students are not present.
Casey Harris, introducing herself as a Victoria resident and parent, urged the Board of Trustees to adopt policies preventing school campuses from being used as active polling locations while students are present.
"Voting is essential. It is a fundamental part of our democracy, and access to voting locations matter," Harris said, but added that schools open for voting "introduce unnecessary risks" because they increase public access and make it harder to monitor entrants. She also said the added foot traffic and parking congestion can be disruptive to learning and suggested alternatives such as community centers, churches, libraries, evening voting or expanded mail-in options.
Harris told trustees that the request is about balancing civic participation and student safety rather than limiting voting. The board previously heard from administration that when schools serve as polling locations the district uses a single designated door and secures voter areas, and that they review procedures annually to look for improvements.
The board did not take immediate action on the request; trustees thanked Harris for raising the concern and noted the topic may inform policy or future discussion. Superintendent-level staff answered procedural questions about how voters are kept separate from student areas during elections.
