April 18, 2024

Turnout typically low in school board elections

Bond election in 2014 featured only 162 voters

By Jason W

This sign was featured outside a polling place in April 2014 when 162 Newton Community School District voters participated in a levy renewal election. Turnout is typically sparse in school-only elections; several seats on Jasper County boards of education will be on the ballot next Tuesday. (File Photo)

When board of education seats or school-funding issues are the only items on an election ballot, voters don’t tend to come out in droves.

Next week’s Newton election features school board seats only, without any major referendums or bond issues, and also the date also falls on the Tuesday after Labor Day — making it tough for parents and other busy citizens to remember to vote.

If weather the three-day weekend or other factors lead to a low turnout Tuesday, it certainly won’t be the first time a schools-only election has low numbers. Without a major state or national issue at stake, Americans don’t get to the polls en masse, and Newton hasn’t been an exception.

According to the Iowa Secretary of State, there were more than 26,000 registered Jasper County voters at the time of the last school board election, held in September 2013. Only about 7 percent of registered Newton-area voters participated, and that was a huge increase over the 3.2 percent average of the previous three elections.

Those 1,040 citizens voted board members Robyn Friedman and Travis Padget were elected and Sheri Benson and Andy Elbert retained their seats in a six-candidate field.

Even the election that followed the controversial 2010 decision to close Emerson Hough Elementary School didn’t bring out huge numbers, as about 5 percent of registered voters participated in Newton’s September 2011 board of education election.

Only 162 NCSD voters participated in an April 2014 election. The sole purpose of the election was renewal of a PPEL levy — not exactly a long ballot full of high-profile decisions, and 82 percent of voters approved — but there were property taxes at stake.

By contrast, 55.6 percent of registered Jasper County voters participated in last November’s general election, with several closely contested state and national races. The 2012 presidential election brought out 70.8 percent of county voters.

Donna Cook was re-elected in 2011, and Bill Perrenoud and Nat Clark were added to the board. Clark has decided not to seek re-election this time, so Cook and Perrenoud will be challenged by Josh Cantu and Ann Leonard for a total of three contested seats.

Padget, Benson, Friedman and Elbert will be up for re-election in 2017.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com