  We derive an effective Hamiltonian for the ionic Hubbard model at half
filling, extended to include nearest-neighbor repulsion. Using a spin-particle
transformation, the effective model is mapped onto simple spin-1 models in two
particular cases. Using another spin-particle transformation, a slightly
modified model is mapped into an SU(3) antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model whose
exact ground state is known to be spontaneously dimerized. From the effective
models several properties of the dimerized phase are discussed, like
ferroelectricity and fractional charge excitations. Using bosonization and
recent developments in the theory of macroscopic polarization, we show that the
polarization is proportional to the charge of the elementary excitations.
