Clerk prepares for school votes

Preparations for the Republican Valley and Twin Valley schools' bond elections are nearing completion, according to Red Willow County Clerk Pauletta Gerver.

Voter registration deadlines are past, poll workers have been appointed and ballots have been issued to a total of 116 absentee voters in Red Willow, Frontier and Furnas counties.

Absentee ballots can be requested at the Red Willow County clerk's Office, no matter whether the voter lives in Red Willow, Frontier or Furnas county. The mailout deadline is Wednesday, March 19, and walk-in absentee voters have until Monday, March 24, to vote in the Red Willow County Clerk's Office. An agent may pick up a ballot for a friend or family member until 7 p.m. Election Day. All absentee ballots must be returned to the Red Willow County Clerk's Office by close of the polls at 8 p.m. on March 25.

All Red Willow County voters in the Republican Valley School District will vote at the Community Building in Indianola. There will be four polling places for voters in the Twin Valley School District. Regarding Twin Valley voters, everyone in Red Willow County will vote at their regular polling places, except those who normally vote at the High Plains Museum and those who vote at the Methodist Church in Indianola. Those who normally vote at the Methodist Church will vote at the Community Building, and those who normally vote at the High Plains Museum will vote at the Danbury Fire Barn.

Frontier County voters in both school districts will vote at the courthouse in Stockville and Furnas County voters in the Twin Valley School District will vote at the Wilsonville Baptist Church.

Because a school consolidation is always such a controversial issue, there should be no discussion regarding the school bond question in the polling place.

Any comment regarding the question of whether it should pass or not will be construed by the opposing side as campaigning, which is illegal within 200 feet of a polling place.

Any questions about absentee voting, polling places or comments may be addressed to the Red Willow County Clerk's Office, 502 Norris Ave., McCook NE 69001, or by phone at (308) 345-1552.