It’s less than two weeks until the election and the big event, as always, falls on a Tuesday. You know what else typically happens on Tuesdays in November? School for the children of the vast majority of the voters who will be going to the polls. And in many locations, the two events intersect because schools are frequently used as polling places. But in at least some precincts around the country, the playgrounds and classrooms will be empty when the adults show up to decide on the next leader of the free world. The reason being given is that they are afraid of potential violence in and around the voting booths, such as one school in Falmouth, Maine. (Associated Press)

Rigged elections. Vigilante observers. Angry voters. The claims, threats and passions surrounding the presidential race have led communities around the U.S. to move polling places out of schools or cancel classes on Election Day.

The fear is that the ugly rhetoric of the campaign could escalate into confrontations and even violence in school hallways, endangering students.

“If anybody can sit there and say they don’t think this is a contentious election, then they aren’t paying much attention,” said Ed Tolan, police chief in this seaside community, which decided to call off classes on Election Day and put additional officers on duty Nov. 8.

The AP was able to find reports of schools closing on November 8th in Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with a high probability that there are even more. What’s clear from the coverage of the story at that school in Maine, however, is the underlying message that it’s all about Trump. The parents and school administrators they spoke with are all referencing “rigged election” talk, though they at least acknowledge that one GOP campaign office was burned down.

We’re only talking about one day here so I suppose it’s not a real deal breaker. After all, particularly in Maine, they bank plenty of snow days into the schedule to account for the weather so I’m sure the kids can make up the time. But was this really necessary? Yes, there are some rallies that get out of hand and a few violent nutcases who cause trouble during the campaign season, but election day tends to be a rather calm affair in the worst of times. The fighting is over when the voting begins. Even if you have “election monitors” from either side showing up at the polls, there are generally also some representatives from the local constabulary to keep an eye on things.

This just sounds like the liberal propaganda machine getting out of hand. It’s one more excuse for people to show up to vote and be informed that the school is empty because we’re worried about those Trump people. Meanwhile, the kids have their school week broken up and have to tack another day onto the school year to make up for it. It all just seems a bit overheated. The race is nearly over, folks. Can we just get on with the voting and put this whole, sordid mess behind us, please?