Ann Arbor Schools: Tech bond voter turnout likely to be less than 10 percent
Precinct election inspector Don Jerome assists voter Claudia Scioly at Ann Arbor's Tappan Middle School on Tuesday afternoon. Voters in the Ann Arbor school district are deciding the fate of a nearly $45.9 million technology bond issue.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
The Ann Arbor Public Schools millage proposal for a $45.8 million technology bond is drawing a lower turnout than usual, said Ed Golembiewski, director of elections for Washtenaw County.
As of about 3:15 p.m., Golembiewski said based on numbers reported thus far from a smattering of the county’s largest precincts, he expects an overall turnout between 8 and 10 percent for the AAPS millage.
“Maybe even a little less than that,” he said.
Five percent is City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry’s prediction. She said there were about 1,700 absentee ballots collected and beyond that, precinct turnout has been “really, really light.” Some of the University of Michigan precincts are in low double-digits, she said.
Ypsilanti voters, who are being asked to consider two ballot proposals, a 1 percent income tax and a Water Street debt retirement millage, are going to the polls in greater numbers.
Golembiewski said Ypsilanti is on pace for a 20 to 25 percent turnout, based on preliminary polling data.
He said the Ypsilanti ballot proposals have very vocal proponent and opponent groups, whereas the AAPS millage is “a little less on people’s radar.”
Election workers at Scarlet Middle School in Precinct 6 of Ann Arbor’s Third Ward said, as of about 3:15 p.m., they had 85 people come in to vote. Marianne Lee said a number of voters commented on how the technology bond millage was not well advertised.
Lee said she got something in the mail today from the school district.
“There is usually a spurt in voters after the dinner hour, though,” Lee said.
John Jutte, a Precinct 5 resident in the city’s Second Ward, said he did not know about the election until he saw the “vote here” signs at the Assembly of God Church. The church tallied 101 voters by 3:30 p.m.
Jutte voted “yes” on the proposal, saying he believes technology is a good investment in the future of children’s lives and the state. Beyond thinking technology is a good thing, he admitted he does not know anything about how the tech bond money would be spent.
Jutte said he wished the school district would have better informed the community outside of the school buildings about the millage proposal.
Tuesday's special election is estimated to cost AAPS $86,000.
If passed, the millage would levy, on average, an additional .51 mills per year until 2023.
According to AAPS, voters whose homes have a market value of $100,000 would pay an extra $26 per year. Residents with a $200,000 to $300,000 home would owe $51 to $77 more.
If the millage proposal fails, the district would need to find $3 million to $6 million for crucial infrastructure upgrades in the upcoming school year, officials said. AAPS is facing a $17.8 million budget shortfall for 2012-13.
Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 4:26 a.m.
I'd love to see a rebutal as to why you shouldn't vote.The argument being made is that ingornace is the reason and you should have been educated about voting in May, but because you made no effort to find out about it yourself, we shouldn't have an election. For those of you responding, please explain why having an educated voting base who is aware of the issues and the voting dates is bad for the electorate in the AAPS district. Looking forward to the answer when, I wake up tomorrow.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:28 a.m.
And to finish it off, I even drove my Ypsilanti Township polling place this morning just to make sure I wasn't missing my opportunity to vote. I love voting, my parents taught me to appreciate it, it is what makes this Country what it is today. Women and minorities only got the right to exercise their suffrage in the past 100 years. Just imagine if everybody who could vote in an election voted in that election. These comments would be down from 40 plus to about 3. Go vote next time, it is the American thing to do.
DonBee
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:05 a.m.
It passed, as expected. Most voters did not know, that there was an election. AAPS was successful in their strategy to sneek this vote in. Congratulations. Now they don't have to ask a single administrator to take a pay cut or pay anymore for benefits. They don't have to reduce the $5 million administrative discretionary fund. No changes to the Varsity sports budget. No changes to spending the sinking fund to support new sports facilities. NOPE... All they have to do is cut high school busing and teachers and they can balance the budget. No changes to the priorities the administration and board have set. In a few years we will be paying for 4 generations of computers that have gone to the great recycling yard in the sky. Congratulations, folks!
say it plain
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:33 a.m.
they wouldn't have done anything but cut teachers anyway, if the bond hadn't passed... what...they would have said, oh gee, well, I guess we'll take some off the *administrators* to help off-set the needed tech upgrades?! As much as you may have wished that somehow on the ballot was whether we'd like cuts made *away* from the classrooms and from much needed services and instead made to paying for fancy new field houses and fancy new administrators, *that* wasn't up for a vote! I have no doubt that the kids and classrooms would have suffered, and they'd have 'learned' no lesson at all. What we need is to *vote out* the school board that listens without questioning and can't even tell us what we're spending money on!
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:54 a.m.
I cannot believe the voter apathy that is on display. Shame on you people.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:16 a.m.
That my friend is a different question than saying I did not know, I did not vote. I will not argue efficency, but I will argue apathy. Besides the fact spring elections have been around forever. Again, as someone who has the privilege of voting I take the privilege to find out what I can vote about.
Commoncents
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:03 a.m.
What's the reason we need to have an election JUST for this one single issue in May ? It's expensive and a waste of time. Why couldn't we tack this one single issue onto the November election ? If we're so certain everyone either wants this passed or doesn't care, why not just make the kids wait a few more months for their ipads ? By the way, can we vote for all the administrators to make $30-40k more per year while we're at it ? They DESERVE it, just ask them.
Marvin Face
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:46 a.m.
Yep. It passed. Just like I said it would.
J. A. Pieper
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:37 a.m.
And the tech millage is passing by a two to one margin, according to the news on WXYZ, ABC news.
Parrhesia
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:33 a.m.
This democracy thing is a real bear! I mean, how is anyone supposed to remember two election cycles (May and November) PER YEAR! What are we becoming, Europe? You can't expect me to take 10 minutes out of two days per year to fill in bubbles with a black pen. And to think THOUSANDS of well-educated voters had the nerve to turn out today to support public schools – how dare them! And all those yard signs supporting this issue in front of houses all over Ann Arbor, even the really big houses that will pay even more taxes to make sure ALL kids have an equal opportunity to attend good schools. It just makes me sick.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 4:17 a.m.
@commoncents, relinquish your vote to me, I wiill execrcise it regardless of the intrusion on my life, you can go on with your self gratifying ways
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:13 a.m.
My father would be proud that I am getting negative votes because I am telling yopu people your excuse for note voting or knowining what goes on in your district are weak. Please give me as many negative down votes as possible.
JRW
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:56 a.m.
We "NEED" 2 elections so AAPS can rig the results. This is how they get their constant tax hikes passed. Put everything on one ballot in November. They didn't want to risk a high turnout in November.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:53 a.m.
Golf clap! Princess wave
Robert Hughes
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:49 a.m.
You said it, P!
Commoncents
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:39 a.m.
Answer this: Why did we NEED to have this election in May ? Having 2 election cycles adds unneeded cost to run elections that could be better spent on plenty of other public services. It also wastes peoples time twice instead of only once. And it's not 10 minutes, for some of us we have to leave work early and fight through traffic and parking lots. Why do we NEED to do that twice a year ? Forget the reality that the school board targeted the May election because they knew voter turnout would be almost zero and just answer the question. Why do we NEED may elections ?
JRW
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:04 a.m.
The whole thing is rigged. AAPS holds these elections on days when few people can vote other than AAPS staff (most polls are in schools). Of course it will pass. The only people voting already work for the district. How about having this vote in November when all the other issues are on the ballot and save the costs of these special elections. Let's see the results then.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:07 a.m.
Then make 10 minutes, set your alarm early. I love these non president elections. When I go and vote for a president and the lot every four years it takes 45 minutes. These elections are in and out experiences. I take my kids to them because they learn how important voting is and they don't get bored standing in line.The election workers and I always get a chuckle out of it. People have no idea that local elections have a greater affect on their pocket book than a national election. Oh well. And the whole education of the voter thing I didn't know, that is weak. Remember what McKinley accomplished last time the WISD aske for a millage? APATHY, alive and well n the ace deuce.
JRW
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:54 a.m.
Dude, the last time I got an absentee ballot for an election I was harassed with phone calls for weeks before the election. The fact that someone receives an absentee ballot should not be public information but it is! I learned that the hard way.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:52 a.m.
Dude, get an absentee ballott, or stop your life for ten minutes today.
Beth
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:41 a.m.
Teachers need to vote at their assigned polling place, just like everyone else - and for most teachers, that's not the school they teach at. Teachers who vote do so before or after work, just like all other working people.
Stephen Landes
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 12:30 a.m.
Low turnout is exactly what the School Board and this proposal's advocates were hoping for. Single purpose school elections should be illegal. Hold these elections during recognized, more widely attended elections.
Commoncents
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:01 a.m.
How can we do it ? I will sign up for or speak out at any public event - just let me know where. I've had enough of this BS.
A2comments
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 12:27 a.m.
At 6:15 Superior Twp. was at 218 out of over 4,000 voters. Just what the district wanted. We cast two NO votes.
Commoncents
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:01 a.m.
Pioneer High School was at 200 at 6pm. I mean that is absolutely ridiculous. How can we make sure these May elections get abolished ??
blahblahblah
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 12:24 a.m.
Just watch, next May it will be the AATA's turn to ask for a tax increase to help finance county wide bus service.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:51 a.m.
Maybe you should look into that next April bro so you can exercise your suffrage!
Urban Sombrero
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 11:30 p.m.
My fiancé and I voted today (Scarlett Middle School. We were something like #92 and 93.). It's sad that turnout is so low. Ten percent is pathetically! Especially for an issue like this that affects both school kids and tax payers alike.
Urban Sombrero
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 11:45 a.m.
Ahem....pathetically low. I can think and write coherently. Sometimes.
dotdash
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 10:35 p.m.
Since not voting is itself a choice, 90% of voters are saying "I don't care". So I do not have a problem with the 10% who do care deciding it. I just hope those 90% continue not to care when they get the result....
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:10 a.m.
Sounds like more than 2/3 of the people you talked to had their head in the sand. I've always looked to see what is on the spring ballott. Mr. VanColen my AAPS 9th grade civic teacher taught me about it, as did my parents.
DonBee
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2 a.m.
Without a local newspaper and with only parents of children recieving information from AAPS, with a lack of local radio coverage and no TV coverage - how are people supposed to know? We are going to have to make it a requirement for off cycle elections that every voter by notified by mail, or find a way to at least tell people there is an election. More than 2/3 of the people I talked to did not know that there was an election. None of these people had gotten a mailing from the school or another source. None of them get the paper version of this website. Even the coverage from WUOM was very light.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:50 a.m.
The electorate is supposed to educate themselves. Local elections are not on the spin channels. Wake up people. Spring elections have been around forever.
Robert Hughes
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:44 a.m.
Sounds like you told 20 people about it! That's something, right?
dotdash
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 12:27 a.m.
Well, okay, that's not so good. Everyone should know and have a chance.
Commoncents
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 12:21 a.m.
You're mis-informed. I asked around today and out of ~20 people only one person I asked at work even knew about the election. (all of voting age, all living in ann arbor) It may be true that some don't care, but many flat out didn't know. This election was PLANNED to be at a time when they knew turnout would be low and that's CRIMINAL.
annarboral
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 10:30 p.m.
Allowing a voter turnout of less than 10% to decide a $50 million millage is a bad decision whether it passes or fails. We should have a minimum number of voters required to participate before any millage gets passed. How about a "quorum" rule that demands 30% of the registered voters participate or the matter is considered to have failed? This would quickly eliminate these sneaky May elections that few even realize are happening. We need to vote on issues that are well publicized, discussed and understood. Only then will the true opinion of the people be determined. This millage election is democracy at its worst.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:48 a.m.
We should take away the voting rights of thjose that don't appreciate it. You could have gotten an absentee balott weeks agho so don't give me the I'm to busy line. I hope you don't discuss politics with the strangers. You have no right complaining if you don't vote.
JRW
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:05 a.m.
Well stated. Sneaky indeed. That's how they like it.
Gorc
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 11:54 p.m.
I like your idea...it has merit.
Commoncents
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 10:08 p.m.
It's absolutely ridiculous that they don't have ONE election in November. If you want to pretend that the school administrations didn't do this on purpose well that's on you, but the rest of us know what's up. I just voted no and would be more than happy to express my feelings to any of the school administrators - just let me know when. This is down right criminal.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 2:51 a.m.
@ Robert, I like the way you set your priorities
Robert Hughes
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:43 a.m.
There is low voter turn out regardless of the time of year. Lower now, but still, that's not a very good argument against having a vote today. I found out about it today, and I voted on it today too.
Commoncents
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 12:57 a.m.
Topher: So you don't think the school administration knew that voter turnout would be almost zero, except for those voting yes, if they put it on the ballot in May vs. November ? People are busy and don't realize there's an election. In the end it's their own fault because they're adults and should be responsible for their own actions, however to say the administrators didn't target a May election on purpose for that very reason is flat out wrong. And it's dishonest and downright criminal, to hold a vote in this way, if you ask me. . . . . By the way, what does your facebook rant have anything to do with it ? What does American Idol have to do w/ anything ? If you only knew how often I went on/watched either you'd be surprised. And what does using the word "like" at the end of your comment imply ? That I'm a young kid or idiot ? If you only knew. Just say it if that's your point, but I find it interesting you went so far off topic. I guess if you don't have a good point it's easier to just name call.
Topher
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 12:22 a.m.
I know, right? If it were like American Idol I would totally vote multiple times. But getting myself to a voting site is just so much time and commitment. Democracy is too much work. But if it was on Facebook, I would totally 'Like' a candidate into office. One election in, like, ten years would be my solution.
davecj
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 10:08 p.m.
If you haven't voted yet, please go vote NO!
northside
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 9:35 p.m.
Ann Arbor no longer has a daily paper. Might that be a reason for the unusually low turnout? Newspapers used to be the main information source for elections like this.
Macabre Sunset
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 9:29 p.m.
That's what they're counting on. Elections should only be held once a year, because the majority isn't paying attention. Meanwhile, as a parent, I've received 5-6 emails from the schools asking me to vote. They figure parents are more likely to vote yes, so they want only parents to know. Yes, I know they hold public hearings, so it's not "sneaky" as has been claimed. But it is a cynical attempt to push something through they know wouldn't fly in November.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 1:45 a.m.
The majority isn't paying attention? You have got to be kidding me? Voting is a civic duty, if these people are not aware of spring election time they don't deserve to be in the majority or minority, take their voting privileges away. People are dying every day for our right to vote. Get off your keister, pass by starbucks, stop surfing ann arbor .com and go vote. Besides, the lines are short and parking is not at a premium. You can be in and out in 3 minutes if you know what you are doing.
Dog Guy
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 9:18 p.m.
>10% = Once again AAPS votes itself a raise. Ha ha ha haaaa ha!