A woman in Hudson, which is west of Boston, would like to ban voting in schools for fear of pedophiles or terrorist attacks (article).

I think this is a little over the top. Schools are a good place to hold polls — they’re almost always handicapped accessible, it gives kids a good lesson in civics (and sets a good example for their adult lives), they usually have plenty of room, and it makes people feel part of the community when they see what kids are up to, especially when they don’t have any kids of their own. I can see how one might be squicked out by adults attempting to roam the halls of elementary schools, but most adults vote after school is over, and also, many schools close down on Election Day so the traffic isn’t any more ridiculous than it needs to be.

Libraries, town halls, churches generally are too small and not always equipped for a huge load of people, especially with regards to parking (churches, maybe, but they’re not all handicapped accessible. Plus, that is a little bit too much blending of church and state for my tastes).

There were a lot of things I didn’t like about “Bowling for Columbine,” but Moore’s idea that Americans are really afraid of almost everyone really resonated with me. You can’t prevent everything that might happen. It would be awful, of course, if a polling place were attacked by a terrorist, but the chances of that happening are very slim. The chances of your ballot being invalidated or being turned away at the polling place because your registration got screwed up are much higher, and that’s something to be concerned about — not the off-off-off-chance that a small New England town will be attacked.