Special election too important

to miss voting

There's just two weeks until borough voters will go to the polls to decide the fate of nearly $40 million in school-related bonds. In many ways, the vote is about more than a simple new school or two and some miscellaneous renovations. It is also about the kind of community we want to live in for the near future.

Since the new school bonds were rejected by voters in the general election last fall, a concerted effort has been made to educate voters on the importance to everyone in the community - not just those who have school-age children - of a yes vote this time around. Indeed, the &#8220Vote Yes” drive has brought together a diverse array of Valley residents, many of whom likely have not been on the same side of too many issues previously.

This speaks in clear tones about the urgency many in the community feel. The Valley is growing rapidly. No amount of wishful thinking or denial will keep the children from coming. All that remains to decide is whether we want to educate those children in portables and overcrowded existing classrooms, or if we want to provide adequate space for them in which to learn.

The area's growth is not expected to slow anytime soon. Some state economists predict that Mat-Su will be more populated than Anchorage before mid-century. Good schools will be essential to ensuring that the growth that's coming will be good, economically healthy growth.

So anyone with a stake in the community's long-term prosperity ought to not miss out on voting. Those who will be out of town for the May 2 election still have time to file an absentee ballot.

Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot from the borough clerk's office by calling 745-9683. Staff there will mail or fax a ballot. Absentee ballots are also available at the borough Web site, www.matsugov.us. The deadline for by-mail absentee ballot requests is April 25.

Completed ballots mailed back to the borough clerk must by postmarked by May 2 and received by May 5 in order to be counted.

In-person absentee voting has already begun at locations around the Valley. Those who would rather drop off a ballot than mail it back in can do so at the borough clerk's office, city halls in Palmer, Wasilla and Houston, and public libraries in Talkeetna and Trapper Creek during regular business hours. There is also an absentee ballot station in the Cottonwood Creek Mall.

Low voter turnout has been a hallmark of too many recent elections. The special election May 2 may just be too important to ignore. And with so many voting options, there's no reason not to participate.