Why schools closed to be used for polling stations?

[jessyjo2]

I don't understand why when there is an election so many schools are automatically closed for the day. Working parents are left to either take holidays or pay for child care (additional cost for a lot of people across even 1 school). Also children miss out on days education and distrupts school planning, many schools had to reschedule christmas plays etc which were due yesterday.
Surely with such advanced technology voting could b done on line, obviously there would b setting up costs to this but long term would b more economical. No paying people to sit in polling stations (schools!) manually checking off names, nobody counting little pieces of paper after, less likely to have mistakes in counting!
Or if that's too advanced for some, what about using community centres or church halls. In the village where I vote the school is closed as used for polling station, however community centre remains vacant.

Interestingly, a study has shown that people who vote in schools are more likely to vote left-wing, while people who vote in churches are more likely to vote right-wing.

I don't know your political affiliation, but if you do want a Labour government at some point, be careful what you wish for!

*be

If a school is used where the polling area can't be kept totally separate from the rest of the school, it is for safeguarding. At least that is what I have always understood. When I taught in a primary with a totally separate canteen building, that was used for polling so everyone ate packed lunch in class but the school was otherwise unaffected. When I taught in a 60's built school there was no area that could be shut off so the school closed to pupils although not to staff. It is not the school's choice!

I agree that if the school is being used as polling station then u cant have children in the middle of it so therefore agree to it being closed. However why cant voting take place elsewhere in 1st place and let schools get on with it?

Presumably because of a lack of alternative locations. We vote in a playgroup or a church hall in our village (2 polling stations) but our primary school was closed for voting because there weren't equivalent spaces available. Interesting that some places have the more "needs must" polling stations of people's caravans, pub back rooms, hairdressers etc. and more use of these sort of spaces isn't made in preference to school halls.

I think there has been a move to remove polling stations from schools where possible . If there is an alternative room it should be used. We don’t have a polling station in our village. We have to drive to one in the next village.

Our polling station was a church hall this time, rather than the primary school. Would make a good choice for next time ( aargh, can’t even think of a next time after that palaver) though there were a lot of mutterings from commuters later as the school was not far from the station and people had got used to dropping in on their way home.?