Electoral Board Wants Schools Closed for Presidential Primary

Residents vote at a local Prince William County school.

The Prince William School Board will decide if the schools should close on Virginia’s presidential primary day, March 1.

The Prince William Electoral Board believes schools should close to accommodate the record number of voters expected to come out to the polls on “Super Tuesday.”

Brentsville School Board member Gil Trenum proposed discussing the matter at the Prince William School Board’s meeting, Jan. 20.

“This is on for discussion and a possible vote in response to several members of the electoral commission,” Trenum said.

Primaries do not usual warrant closing schools said Trenum, but this year is different.

Normally we don't close or do anything special for primaries, just the elections in the fall. However, this year, it is a presidential primary and both major parties have a contested nominating process. I was told that the elections office is expecting a higher turnout than normal, as much as 30% or even more, and if we do see this level of turnout it may very well cause significant logistical problems for both the schools and the elections process.

Diana Dutton administrative manager of elections for Prince William County said Prince William County is preparing for a very big turnout on the day of the primary. In response, the Prince William Electoral Board voted to send a letter to the school division in support of closing Prince William schools.

“This is a big deal primary. It’s a presidential primary, and there is no incumbent, so there is going to be an open seat,” said Dutton. “We are just concerned. We are concerned about the parking as always.”

Dutton said if schools are in session during the primary, there will be little to no parking for voters, especially at elementary schools.

Another concern is for the safety of the students.

“Schools are always concerned about the safety of the students with lots of visitors coming into their schools,” Dutton said.

Virginia, along with many other states, holds its primary on March 1. So far, neither party has a clear front-runner, and there are still 13 candidates in the Republican race. If there is no clear front-runner by “Super Tuesday,” Virginia will get to play a significant role in electing one or more of the two party candidates.

To avoid lines at the polls, Dutton is encouraging anyone who qualifies to vote absentee. She explained that simply working outside of the county is enough to qualify a person to vote absentee.

Because this is a primary election, those turning 18 before the November election are also eligible to vote once they are registered.

Dutton also wants to inform voters in the Ashton Precinct that their polling place has been changed from Bull Run Regional Library to the Pat White Center at Ben Lomond, formerly known as the Ben Lomond Building.

Prince William residents who have questions about the primary election, should visit the Prince William Office of Elections.