Longhurst Introduces Election Realignment Bill
From the House Press Release:
Calling this an opportunity to save taxpayer money and increasing voter participation, House Majority Whip Rep. Valerie J. Longhurst introduced legislation Thursday that would align public school board elections with the bi-annual general elections.
House Bill 117 would eliminate the annual school board elections for the 16 school districts that elect board members. School board elections currently are held on the second Tuesday of May and can occur in any year. Under the legislation, school board elections would move to Election Day beginning in 2010. Doing so will save the state from having to mobilize poll workers, voting machines and running up to 16 separate elections on the same day, which amounts to a statewide election.
“It’s rare that we as legislators can do something that will both save money and increase voter participation in the public process, but this will definitely increase turnout for school board elections,” said Rep. Longhurst, D-Bear. “Currently, less than 2 percent of registered voters actually vote in school board elections. It’s disheartening that people aren’t active in school board elections. Hopefully with this change, people will become more involved and give the same scrutiny to school board races as they do with all other elections.
Thank God. I have been saying for years that we have too many elections in this country, so much so that elections because commonplace and unimportant…. something you don’t have to do. By having all elections take place on one day, you improve turnout for the lower elections, like that of school board. Further, people often don’t receive notice of local and school board elections, no matter how diligently the paper announces it. By having these elections take place the same time as the general election, there is a better chance people will remember to vote in them.
Now pass this bill.
This is interesting. I just spoke to someone in Legislative Hall who made the point that this could have the effect of disenfranchising voters who are not registered to vote. Since you do not have to be a registered voter to vote in school board elections (you just have to live in the district), people who have chosen not to register to vote will now be unable to vote for the school board.
Honestly, I am having trouble wrapping my brain around that argument. I wonder how many people really fall into that category and under what circumstances it can be considered disenfranchisement when the completion of a voter registration card solves the problem…
Actually, as I was writing, I got it. People don’t register to vote because they don’t want to get jury duty. But those jury-duty avoiders can currently vote for the school board. Again, I have problems ginning up sympathy for those souls.
Jury notices go to registered voters and holders of drivers licenses. Not registering to vote to avoid jury duty is kind of misguided and quaint, like not getting your kids vaccinated.
Yeah, who does this disenfranchise then?
The truth is it disenfranchises no one, but there will be opposition to this bill because our elected officials, especially those officials in the school board and in other local elections, like having their smaller elections take place unnoticed, wtih only a 2% turnout. It is an incumbent protection racket.
I wonder if school referendums could be included in this. The schools are usually very good about scheduling some “must attend” event in conjunction with referendums. I’d rather go on election day. The same cost-saving arguments would apply.
I’m fine with this, and I like the referendum idea as well. More often than not, when it comes to school boards and referendums only certain audiences are targeted.
so, does this mean that party registration would now matter to get elected to the school board…currently a non-partisan election?
Why would the school board candidates have to be identified with a party?
If it’s meshed in with the general, it goes on the same grid, unless they separate it into a different format somehow on the same voting machine.
I mean, you (LG) and I could think of ways around this, but think about who we are talking about here! 😉
No, there are currently ‘non-partisan’ elections that take place on Election Day. Newark City Council elections are non-partisan, but ‘bulo thinks they take place on Election Day.
Years ago I worked on Marguerite Ashley’s mayoral campaign in Newark and that election was as partisan as hell even though they aren’t supposed to be. Both sides used their respective party machines. Just sayin’.
John Kowalko is one of the people trying to discourage combining the elections because of disenfranchisment of voters so say the comments over on DWA. No details on who or why.
A lot of school board elections are partisan as well, they just like to pretend they aren’t.
Newark elections take place in April.
Imagine trying to pass a referendum that’s put on the November ballot.
Lots of places — especially cities — do.
Uhm… is there anything *wrong* with being required to register to vote in school board elections? Or is it just a stupid, outdated legal thingamabob that our lazy-ass legislators have never bothered to update?
I’ve lived in Delaware for 15+ years and never once realized that you didn’t have to be registered for board elections. Huh.
It looks like it might have a pretty good shot at passing the House. 9 of the 14 Education Committee(to which it was assigned) members are co-sponsors. 23 House members(out of 41) including majority leader Schwartzopf and majority whip Longhurst are co-sponsors.
A few Senators co-sponsored, but a smaller percentage–not a majority.
Why stop here? Rep. Longhurst is to be commended for her efforts and she should continue trying to insert order into the education system in DE. I favor cutting administrators and reducing the number of districts in the state.
Keep up the good work! Rep. Longhurst.
You know I’m hating this one. Keep ’em separate, it keeps it non-partisan…I don’t care what you guys say…it will turn into a “yea it’s non-partisan, but we’ll help you if….”
Also, it keeps the volunteerism pure of this citizen seat. Same day becomes the bull pen of entire other leaugue of business. Referendum should be done when needed, until the STATE changes it’s formula for funding. Right now, most approved, passed referendum get in line for funding in the order of passing. What are you going to do if 4 different districts pass their ref. all on that Tuesday in November? Also, why place that kind of bid and market pressure on contractors all at the same time prior to that date? Spread the work and load out. School boarding is such a different animal than legislating and politics. Geez, if a community has a chance to isolate and decide potential visionaries for their district, why crowd it under party love or hate? Also, what do you do with someone who lives in the 9th, schools in Colonial, but votes in Appoquinimink? I don’t know if boundaries are established enough to run thru a matrix, inclusive or exclusive of school districts. It’s enough getting the EDs down. Again, I’m really hating this. I’m all for one stop shopping–but let’s not be a panic buyer!
Again, Joanne is right. Imagine the school board that would get elected in certain parts of the state if it were chosen on Election Day. Imagine the difficulty – impossibility – of passing school funding referenda. School board elections should remain non-partisan.
John Manifold- I hope to meet you some day!!!!
I have to say that JC’s comment makes sense.
What you guys and gals ought to be looking at is the “Special Election” practice. Limit that to twice a year, that all “unfilled” seats would be decided. Leave the dang school boards alone.
“Honestly, I am having trouble wrapping my brain around that argument. I wonder how many people really fall into that category and under what circumstances it can be considered disenfranchisement when the completion of a voter registration card solves the problem…”
Convicts get to vote in those elections now but wouldn’t in the future.
“Years ago I worked on Marguerite Ashley’s mayoral campaign in Newark and that election was as partisan as hell even though they aren’t supposed to be. Both sides used their respective party machines. Just sayin’.”
Word. I’ve worked a Newark election and though it didn’t say it, it was very clear to everyone in the district who was the R and who was the D. Both parties put their machines and their money into the race.
This is an excellent thread. Really good arguments on both sides of the question, points that would not come initially to mind. Joanne C. and John Manifold (arguably even a better name than donsquishidishimaharishi) always bring interesting takes on issues.
‘Bulo doesn’t have a dog in this hunt, but were he a legislator, he’d be waiting for the floor debate to make up his mind. And yesterday, he would’ve been an ‘aye’…
Referenda do not have to be at the same time. As for partisanship, I still don’t get how this has to become an issue because of a date change. Having these seats decided by just a few voters (2%?) is insane.
Tom – thanks for pointing out the convicted. I hadn’t considered that. This will definitely disenfranchise them.
Someone mentioned to me that it would also disenfranchise foreign nationals who are in the country legally (but not citizens) and may have children in the public schools.
The Newark area has some foreign born grad students at the UD who are in that situation and some corporations may have folks in that situation too ( DuPont before they downsized probably did). Not in the country long enough to become citizens,but having a vested interest in the public school system.
Voting is voting. Why should the rules for voting for the school board be different than voting for president or mayor? You should have to be (a) registered to vote and (b) a citizen or legal U.S. resident. There’s no disenfranchisement there.
Joanne wrote: “Also, what do you do with someone who lives in the 9th, schools in Colonial, but votes in Appoquinimink? I don’t know if boundaries are established enough to run thru a matrix, inclusive or exclusive of school districts.”
As I understand it, you vote in school board elections in the district where you live. It doesn’t matter what district your kids attend. So in your example, the voter would vote in Appo. That’s simple enough.
“The Newark area has some foreign born grad students at the UD who are in that situation and some corporations may have folks in that situation too ( DuPont before they downsized probably did). Not in the country long enough to become citizens,but having a vested interest in the public school system.”
These folks also have a vested interest in representation in Congress, in state legislative elections and in local municipal elections. Yet we require people to register to vote for those. A school board, despite Joanne’s protestations to the contrary, is not some vastly different kind of animal that’s somehow sacred in our governing system. So that’s totally a straw man argument.
anon idiot-“it doesn’t matter what district your kid attends”…not the point of the argument
Again, the EDs already have crossover into multiple school districts…for instance
I live in the 8th RD
I live in the 14th SD
My school district is Appo.
However, my friends live in the 8th RD
And live in the 14th SD
And the school district is Smyrna
And then my other friend lives in 8th RD
And the 10th SD
And the school district is Appo.
And then my other friend only knows they live in Appo., not registered to vote, but is currently permitted to vote for school board.
You want this sweeping legislation, but not all those nasty details. Think again.
This is too premature of an initiative, without undoing some of the other parameters (e.g. registered voter, or redistricting)
Again, maybe the legislators should look to themselves to limit special elections, instead of removing one lousy day in May set aside to do the “community’s business”.
anon-idiot…JC does have good examples there. Going back to her Appo/Colonial example, I believe some of the neighborhoods just south of the canal actually are split (Asbury and Asbury II, I believe) between Appoquinimink and Colonial School Districts, but they vote at the same location.
What about the VO-Techs, how are their boards determined?
Now to better explain my part on the partisan argument…voting sheets are grids: rows of offices and columns of party alignment. If the General Election and School Boards are aligned, then how would you segregate the partisan-general election from the supposed non-partisan school board election? I don’t believe it is as simple as “drawing a line” of top section vs. bottom section. Plus, in Presidential years, when you typically have a laundry list of offices up for grabs, would you have potential of running out of rows to list offices/candidates?
Joanne – You do keep making the special election argument, and that is all well and good. But the school board elections are a known cost. They happen every year and thus have predictable cost savings.
I hear your point about ED boundaries and school district boundaries. This is certainly valid, but the special election system, your special election campaign notwithstanding, is a drop in the proverbial bucket.
What is there were other voting machines co-located in the polling places?
“After you vote here, you can go over there to vote in the school board election.”
Perhaps there aren’t enough voting machines to pull that off, but we could use another system for school board elections if we wanted…
Keep in mind, LG, I’m not necessarily saying “no,” but bringing up concerns. That’s what we have amendments for!! 🙂
Agreed.
I acknowledge some good arguments on both sides of this issue.
But, I think most of you are missing the MAIN problem.
Those of us who are advocates of ‘Good Government’:
Do we really want more uninformed voters pressing the button in a contest about which they know nothing?
We already have this problem in some of the mid-ballot races in particular, such as state Insurance Commissioner, Auditor, etc. (We go back to the debate over whether some offices, such as Insurance Commissioner, should be appointive!)
Believe me, some voters don’t have a clue about a race for Lieutenant-Governor or NCC Council President!
I know. I interview voters all day long in every Delaware Primary and General election. Some say they just leave their ballots blank for the offices & candidates they know nothing about; but others confess to voting for a candidates, sometimes, just based on a name, or based on gender!
Of course, for some, even many, party cues become important, and – in theory – voters wouldn’t even have that “cue” when choosing between/among school-board candidates!
As I note in my WDEL posting about this, I grew up in Illinois, where we had very long ballots. We voted on retention of judges. We voted, unbelievably for Trustees to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees (for which I recall, incredibly, four or five party lines on the ballot, including the Communist Party!). Most voters didn’t have a clue. Other than party cues, voters of a particular ethnicity might vote for the candidates whose names appeared to be of the same ethnicity.
I agree with the argument that under this legislation, we could see a further politicization of School Board races (which, in my view, we don’t need!), as “someone who knows someone else” gets campaign-workers to assist with a School Board race as well!
Then, you do have the issue of incredible complexity from overlapping districts, as JC raises.
(Of course, some of this confusion could be eliminated by consolidating school districts. I predict global-warming waters permanently invading Rehoboth before that happens!)
I guess I’m a bit more agnostic about the disenfranchisement argument.
Again, I’m just trying to raise arguments which haven’t been considered. I acknowledge good points on both sides.
For more, please see my blog post at http://www.wdel.com.
Allan Loudell
WDEL Radio
Yes, LG-a school board election is a known cost as you point out –once a year. Specials could be tagged to that “once a year” replacement voting if they are looking to consolidate costs–as one of the 2 days available a year to vote as I suggest.
And to further the argument–at least schools boards were cost conscious and considerate enough to move ALL school board elections to the same day–and not the past way of some Saturdays in some areas, etc. etc.,. This is a smack example of how school boards were willing to work with finance and Board of Elections, and now here we go being rolled into the dreaded partisan play day. You at DL of all people should be SCREAMING at this manipulation.
Furthermore, those cost-saving legislators and Board of Elections go after a same day election for school boards up and down the state–but leave municipal elections alone to any ol’ day assigned in March or whatever month those towns and hamlets decide but require BOE oversight? How crazy is that? How fiscally responsible is that?
But Allan is that an argument that one can make in a democracy? Would you rather an elected official chosen by 10,000 underinformed voters or by 250 friends of the candidates? That is whatw e are looking at now.
How many interviews of school board candidates have you done, not counting incumbents? Does the timing of the school board election (in a slow electoral part of the year) enhance the medias coverage of the events? I don’t think so.
Who pays for municipal elections?
Allan and JC are right on this one. I think that it would be impossible for school board elections to not become partisan if they get swept in to the general.
If SB elections are currently decided by 2% of the eligible voters, at least it is an electorate that took the time to figure out that there was an election.
Hey, let’s make all elections a secret! Great idea, Jason.
I’m mixed on this. LG, nails exactly how people win school board elections (250 friends). Also, issues are rarely discussed in detail by people running for school board. It usually boils down to “I’m for smaller class sizes.”
And making Joanne and a few others the exception, the notion that school board elections aren’t political, that they’re the last bastion of purity politics is naive.
Rarely discussed….depends which district you live.
Which again brings home the point, that if you have even the slightest chance of this not being partisan and have a system in place keeping it less tainted, why would you give a big HEAVE HO over to a partisan date. Don’t tell me the liberals are going cynical? C’mon you got some fighting breath left in you….
I live in Red Clay – ’nuff said.
Joanne – I, as a liberal, want as many people as possible to vote in every election. The current system does not accomplish that, yet it costs more.
Don’t tell me you Republicans are getting all spendy on me…
To liberalgeek,
I emotionally understand your argument. But we’re not talking about “underinformed” voters; we’re talking about folks who don’t have a clue.
Furthrmore, from interviews with voters, I’d say many, many voters get their cues from “knowing” a candidate. Heck, even in the Markell/Carney Democratic primary race, it came down KNOWING one or the other better, or someone’s kids had attended a party with one of their kids! For those of us who want issues and assessments of a candidate’s acumen and ethical standards to decide an election, it can be a rude awakening!
In fact, strangely, as much as I decry politicization, I guess one could argue that a school-board candidate running as an “R” or a “D” might provide more information to a voter than nothing!
I agree school-boards being human creations are politicized, just like one’s family is politicized… but I’ve interviewed too many school administrators over the years who’ve left Delaware and Jersey because of what they perceived as the over-politicization of schools around here.
The retiring superintendent of my large public high school in the Chicago suburbs grew up in Delaware, graduated from Dickinson H.S., I believe… When I asked him what had brought him to the Midwest, he said he was tired of the “crap” – the politicization – he had encountered as a superintendent in New Jersey and Connecticut. He could go to my alma mater, and just worry about further enhancing its reputation as a great school… no school-board fights… no referendum fights every few years, etc. And programs which most Delaware schools – public and private – could only dream of.
Allan Loudell
WDEL Radio
Allan Loudell
Alan, I see your point, but we go to the voting booths with the electorate we have. 😉
Right now a lot (not all, JC) of school board elections are close to rigged. It took a financial meltdown in RC to get fresh blood on that board – which for years operated by having current board members hand picking who would run for open seats and then played the ridiculously small numbers game to get them elected.
Your argument is coming very close to voters have to prove their political intellect to vote. Idiots can vote, and the idea that school board elections are decided by informed voters is a stretch. I’d say they’re decided by self interested voters – which isn’t always in the best interest of the entire district.
Allan – One could make the argument that knowing a candidate whose kid goes to school with your kid is a better indication of shared values than party affiliation.
I’m not looking to make school board elections more partisan, but I think we benefit from elections that aren’t held in what is essentially “secret”
Pfffttt…
Nannystater.
Hey, let’s make all elections a secret! Great idea, Jason.
Don’t start making arguments I’d expect from elsewhere!!! (don’t think too hard about this…) 😉
LG…school board election notices are published in the paper and I have even heard advertisements (maybe one or two, can’t be too much because of the $$$). Heck, most candidates even get a few signs put up. Seriously, trying to call it a ‘secret’ election is defending people who either don’t pay attention or don’t give a crap…or as Allan says, don’t have a clue. I don’t think laying this at the feet of the school districts/boards is really that fair.
Anyway, I really like Allan’s input here. Maybe we should do a blogger’s rectangular-round table at Panera in Newark some near-morning, before work! Oh, why did I go there? 8)
Good points, Pandora and liberalgeek…
What about the argument that voters are overwhelmed with candidates’ commercials, materials, and campaigning before a general election, and so school-board candidates would be fighting to get heard?
Allan Loudell
WDEL radio
Joanne wrote: “anon idiot-”it doesn’t matter what district your kid attends”…not the point of the argument”
Yet you originally said: “Also, what do you do with someone who lives in the 9th, schools in Colonial, but votes in Appoquinimink?”
You brought up the “schools in Colonial” issue, not me. Again, where someone’s kids attend school doesn’t matter. I really don’t understand why you brought it up, but you did.
RSmitty asked: “What about the VO-Techs, how are their boards determined?”
They’re appointed.
Well… they’re overwhelmed now – as you pointed out. A combined election date may actually make school board candidates reach outside their comfort zone and take a stand on specific issues.
Right now, incumbents run on the “I haven’t screwed up” platform and contenders tend to run on the “incumbent sucks” platform. Let’s put some meat on the bones. School boards have more impact on our daily lives than most people realize.
Pandora
Delaware Liberal
(Hmm… why doesn’t that look as impressive as Allan’s?)
Just to clarify my concerns with the bill (concerns that I will be expressing at the Education Committee discussion and on the floor if need be). The points Joanne Christian and Alan Loudell makes are valid and mirror some of my concerns. School Board elections were historically scheduled on other than
regular election days to keep them apolitical. This intermingling risks raising the competitive bar for a volunteer public service minded position to a level of actively campaigning, not on the issues and perspectives, but on attractiveness of personality or fund-raising capabilities. Currently the requirement to not be a registered voter in order to vote in a school board election has resulted in many an 18 year old High School student casting their first vote in a democratic system in a School Board election. I have had many encounters with young adults who have had the thrill of that first experience. The current system also allows for a more engaged, better informed and specifically concerned, albeit small, voter base that participates in the process. The intention of allowing unregistered voters to participate in board elections allowed voters to maintain that apolitical stance some of them prefer. There are active parents and homeowners, (who are directly affected by local school board decisions on spending, referendums and supervision of local school administrations), that do not like the limited choice of the two major parties, viewing both as detrimental and self-indulging, and realize that alternative options can be a futile waste of a vote on their part. These people, however, engage their right to vote in perhaps the last truly non-partisan process that directly affects them and their families. Disallowing their right to vote, a right they’ve enjoyed and engaged in for decades, by insisting that they register into a partisan political system is contravening the right that they have enjoyed and been allowed until now. This is a major change in policy and voter rights, (no matter how small the number of affected voters). Any step backward in the rights of the public to participate in the democratic process currently available to them, (especially to cut costs and entice uninformed voters to decide what could be construed as a popularity contest with no regard for the abilities, capabilities nor thoughts of the candidates), should be seriously considered as disaffecting that voter and his/her right to vote that they currently enjoy.
Okay, I just put in a call to the Dept. of Elections. I want to know how many unregistered voters vote in a school board election. I have to wait until Monday for my answer.
Stay tuned…
anon idiot-we’re miscrossing in communication here–yes, you vote for the school board in the district you reside, but your polling place may be out of that school district–sorry if I wasn’t clear. And since you don’t have to be registered or report to a designated ED polling place for a school board election, we are looking at a whole ‘nother set of rules/laws to be changed. Move the municipal elections to fall. Leave the established state-wide, one day, non -partisan school board elections alone.
One of the most difficult issues to overcome is the inconsistency of representative district lines vs. school district lines. And, frankly, ‘bulo does not know how to resolve it.
When districts are redrawn every 10 years following the census, each district must conform to certain standards, the most specific being that no Rep. or Senatorial District may deviate more than plus or minus 5% from average population per district, which is total Delaware population divided by 41 (House) or 21 (Senate).
Once the Senate and House develop their plans, people working at the technical levels try to address discrepancies so that Senate and House lines line up, wherever possible. You still get the occasional Election District with like 12 people in it, but it’s pretty rare.
Once the legislative reapportionment is passed and signed, the counties can then draw their lines, using the House and Senate lines as signposts.
No matter what you do, under the current school districting system, you are going to have election districts (i.e. precincts) that overlap school district lines. There’s just no way around it. The only (utterly impractical) way to address this would be to have school district lines redrawn every ten years and have them match up with the RD and SD lines. At which point, any cost savings you might have realized in combining the elections would be lost in paying to have the lines drawn and the district administrative nightmares that would ensue.
Plus, keep in mind that general election polling places are mandated by the Department of Elections. It’s not like you can just go to any school to vote like you do now in a school board election.
So, at first blush, what seems easy, logical and economical may turn out to be none of the above. ‘Bulo now votes ‘nay’.
Some people can’t register to vote because of felonies in their past. They can vote on tax referendum and in school board elections. Should they not be able to have input into their child’s education?
My real objection is that people who run for school board will now need a political machine or party. These are non partisan elections. People who actually care to vote know who the people are. The ones who don’t would vote in November but know nothing about the people. It would make the election for school board meaningless unless it becomes a party affair.
Voter turnout here in Kent County for a school board race is the same as a primary. It is a lot more than 2% in a contested election. I don’t see any value to this unless you believe uninformed voting is good. It would take a low money couple hundred dollar affair and make it part of the political money chase corrupting everything else.
It seems to me one of the worst idea’s of the year locally.
hey pandora-did you have to FOIA that?
John Kowalko–THANK YOU!!!! please shed the light further on this to your fellow legislators–it’s not just as clean and tidy as changing a date!
Joanne, I know someone at the Dept.. He’s off today, and I don’t want to bother him at home… so we’ll see come Monday!
Bulo–thanks for waking up. And Pandora, I don’t even know if that “resident” information is quantified. You show your license or VR card, or current lease etc., as acceptable proof, and then sign affadavit like slip stating you are a resident in the district and this is the first and only time voting for the board elections. I think it’s just checked, you provided proof of residence….not which proof. I know I only use my VR for general elections.
Fair enough, Joanne. Just thought I’d ask.
And, David, please stop pretending school boards are above politics. They are NOT.
Here’s some questions I’d like asked and answered by school board members and future members:
What is your position on school vouchers?
What is your position on charter schools? And, are you okay with the current law stating that any available space within a public school must be made available to an interested charter school?
What is your position concerning high poverty schools – who, let’s be real, rarely vote in school board or referendum elections? Are you for “equal” or “equitable” (not the same!) treatment?
Would you be willing to not sign class size waivers in relation to high poverty schools?
I have a lot more questions. So, can we stop pretending that school board candidates don’t have a political POV?
816 people voted in last years Appo School Board election. That represents 1 voter for every 10 kids in the district. By contrast, my polling place cast 2,043 votes for President (over 1,300 for Obama).
There is no requirement that a registered voter be a partisan. There is no requirement that the school board nominees be partisan. There is nothing but a form standing between a voter and their vote. It obviously doesn’t deter people from voting in November.
I will concede that non-citizens and felons have issues and may be disenfranchised. Perhaps we can work around this by allowing “school board only” voters on election day. There are plenty of ways to solve those problems, but I can think of no bigger threat to democracy than having no voters. The system that we are using today encourages low turnout. I am in favor of anything that gets more people to pay attention to the every race, including the school board.
Quick, tell me the date of the general election in November 2008. Now tell me the date of the primary in September 2008. Now tell me the date of the school board elections.
I cannot remember that damn date and I consider myself a well-informed voter.
Nor can most “informed” voters tell you the RD district or senate district they live….but they sure as blazes know what school district they are in!!!!!
Great, when they show up to cast uninformed votes for Insurance Commissioner they can also cast uninformed votes for something they know about.
Glad you are coming around to my side. 🙂
Joanne – Thanks for the clarification. Now I get it.
I’m still trying to figure out why school board elections fall into a special category… why it’s OK for felons and non-citizens to vote for school board, but not for them to vote for president, congress, governor, legislature, mayor and town council.
Anyone? Bueller?
Good questions, ai.
Did you take that new moniker because I called you an idiot? If so, I’m honored.
AI – whatever you do, don’t give Geek any credit. You should see the size of his melon. There just isn’t enough room for it to grow.
Not to mention that school boards are so often ‘farm teams’ for the big leagues, warming up their game as party hopefuls. How many people are promoted from the board farm to political office?
John K.
Hmmm, school boards are responsible for so much of our tax money, why wouldn’t we want those who are responsible enough to get registered being the citizens participating in the vote. I don’t buy it.
Very few people make the jump from school boards to other elective office. It’s always been sort of a one-way-ticket to electoral Palookaville.
anon idiot–clarification
You must be a citizen, at least 18, and resident….
Felons—I don’t know–somebody else can take that up among the liberals!!!!
Nancy-no real farm teams–already discussed on Allan Loudell’s blog
From the DOE FAQ:
Who can vote in an election?
Any person who is a U.S. Citizen and 18 years of age or older on or before the day of the next general election may vote in any election if he or she is registered to vote in Delaware.
… but then …
Do I need to register to vote with the Department of Elections to be able to vote in a city or school election?
[snip]
To vote in school district elections a person must be a resident in the school district holding the election and be at least 18 years of age.
============
Nothing about citizenship.
Silly me…Title 14 Section 1077….
Every CITIZEN 18 years of age or over, and a resident……
But hey, you make a point…it doesn’t say U.S.!!!
Terry Schooley came from a very poorly functioning Christiana School Board as did her replacement on the Board who just tried for the State Senate. Terry won her Rep. seat but Jim McKensie (sp?) lost to Liane Sorenson. Since my sample is so ‘small’, I may have extrapolated in error.
See: the discussion at FixRedClay and read Bill Dunn’s comments for another sample.