Polling places

Speaking of the school district: If a recent study is any indication, supporters of the November school construction bond may want to reconsider the traditional "Support Question 1" campaign in favor of an effort to discourage absentee balloting and early voting.

The ballot measure will ask voters to embrace the extension of public funding for a bond program to build new schools. The district, now the fifth largest in the country, anticipates adding 130,000 students over the next decade. The bond program, which is set to expire next year, would raise an additional $7 billion for school construction through 2018 if voters give their OK.

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania looked at a 2000 election in Arizona in which voters were asked to raise the state sales tax to provide additional money for education. The ballot measure passed, but the study found that people who voted in schools were more likely to support the proposal.

In other words, where they voted might have influenced their vote.

In Clark County, many schools serve as polling places on election day, but those who cast ballots during "early voting" typically do so at other locales, including malls, libraries or rec-centers.

The implication is obvious: School district Superintendent Walt Rulffes and allies must mount a vigorous campaign to discourage early voting, urging people to cast ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 4, when they'll most likely have to do so in a local school cafeteria or gymnasium.

And if the Penn study proves accurate, imagine the push to expand the number of polling locations if a prostitution-related question reaches the ballot.