School Board primaries are important. If you do not vote next Tuesday, May 19, 2009, you may have to live with the result for the next four years.
Four years ago, in the school board primary, the top four vote-getters in the Democratic primary and the top four vote-getters in the Republican primary were the same. Those four candidates went on to the November election unopposed. The elections were all over in May.
The highest number of votes for any one candidate four years ago was 1609. That is truly sad.
Here are some facts:
- Pike County has approximately 46,000 registered voters
- There are approximately 36,000 active voters in the county
- Pike County has the lowest percentage of active voters in the State of Pennsylvania.
- Because some voters are not registered as Democrats or Republicans only about 30,000 voters are able to effectively participate in the primary elections. This is due to Pennsylvania’s closed primary system.
- DVSD has approximately 5,400 students.
- We had a participation rate of less than 1 voter for every two students four years ago.
- It is likely that less than 10% of active voters in the district participated in the DVSD school board primary 4 years ago. That is less than 1 vote cast for every 10 active voters.
You deserve the best schools for your children. You deserve a school board that will responsibly manage the budget. You deserve a school board that will ask the tough questions and ensure that only those programs that are of proven value are implemented. You deserve a school board that will demand high performance from our administrators and our schools. You deserve a board that will get the highest performance from each tax dollar.
But you only deserve this if you vote. Vote for the candidates that will deliver quality education and responsible budgets.
Or sit at home and get whatever somebody else gives you.
Don’t let someone else decide this election. It is too important. Every vote counts. If the election four years ago is any indication, your vote represents 9 other citizens. One vote represents more than 2 students. Think about that and get to the polls next Tuesday. Vote for yourself, and your neighbors. Vote for your kids and grandchildren.
Vote for everyone on your street. Better yet, get them to vote too!
Your vote is ten times more important than you think!
For the four-year term, VOTE for:
Jack Fisher
Bill Greenlaw
Pam Lutfy
Sue Schor
For the two-year term, VOTE for:
Chuck Pike
Posts
The taxpayers of Pike County like to gripe, but they don't like to come out to vote. The numbers above are bad, but they get worse.
ReplyDelete1 Pike had the lowest turnout percentage of ANY county in PA in the presidential election.
2 In the commissioners race in 2007, less than 20% came out to vote. When the 80% who did not come out to vote are factored in, the top vote-getting commissioner received votes from barely 12% of all Pike County voters.
Voters should remember that they get the government that they deserve. With these numbers, very few have the right to complain.
Bill,
ReplyDeleteI agree. I wrote a letter to the editor about four years ago on the subject of off-year elections here, you can find it in the Courier archives if you so desire.
I hope you vote tomorrow, and I hope you persuade some friends to make a difference too.
Maybe I will see you at the polls!