First let’s look at the total number of voters per district. Please keep in mind that some elections featured multiple races, so don’t add the numbers together. For instance, a total of 2,163 people voted in Red Clay.
Brandywine: 1,030
Red Clay: District C – 2,163 and District E – 2,163
Appoquinimink: 579
Christina: District D – 532 and District E – 541
Colonial: 613
Cape Henlopen: At Large – 2710 and District C – 2667
Delmar: 5yr. term – 575 and 3yr. term – 579
Indian River: 1012
Laurel: 287
Seaford: 373
Woodbridge: 210
Smyrna: 390
Capital: 168
Caesar Rodney: 280
Total number of people who voted in the May 12th school board election in the state of Delaware – 10,935
Number that voted last November – 413,562
Beginning to see the problem? These numbers are pathetic. The question is why? And please spare me the it’s good only informed people vote excuse, ’cause I’m not buying it. The other excuse you can flush is the idea that School Board Elections are the last bastion of political and ideological purity. Both those excuses belong in fairy tale books.
Back to the problem at hand – voter turn-out. The way I see it we have two choices: Either we can do something to increase May participation or we move the School Board Elections to November. I’m leaning towards the second choice. (And, yes, I realize – given District lines – there’s some bugs to work out with changing the date.)
School Board Elections are a numbers game. Just take a look at the numbers above and tell me how low voter turn-out doesn’t benefit the candidates. It’s quite simple to play. Simply target the neighborhoods who support your candidacy while ignoring the neighborhoods who don’t – or who might not. (BTW, the same game is played when it comes to referendums.)
I live in Red Clay. We had two seats open on May 12th and four candidates. Two of the candidates never interacted with our neighborhood, never sent a mailer, made a phone call or attended the neighborhood association meeting to which they were invited. So… how on earth is this behavior helping to create an informed public? When did not campaigning in certain areas not only become a winning strategy but a way to justify disenfranchising voters of the candidates choosing?
Also, why does voting in school board elections start at 10:00 a.m.? It can’t be because many people wouldn’t vote before work. Many people do just that. My husband is one of them, and given the craziness of his work schedule he can never guarantee to be home on time to vote in the evening. How many other people face the same situation? How many others, who have every intention of voting, have a monkey wrench thrown into their schedule? And I’m not even getting into how many people have no idea an election was even being held.
10,935 votes is not an election. It’s a vote for club president… in a very exclusive club.