Archive: News

For as long as anyone can remember Lansing School District voters have been able to show up on the day of a vote, sign their name and address, and go directly to the voting machine to cast their vote on district budgets, capital improvement projects, and school board elections.  While changing to a more regulated system of voter registration has been discussed from time to time, it took on new urgency after opponents of the Lansing Library charged that voter fraud had tainted the December vote.

Last Monday Superintendent Stephen Grimm presented the Board Of Education with a first draft of by-laws that will move the district to a system of registered voters.  The board has made it a priority with the intention of putting the new system in place before next May's budget vote, if at all possible.  "I was very careful to find out what it really takes to make it happen," Grimm told the board.  "I don't want us to move forward to improve something and then find out it's going to cost a lot more or that it includes things we can't do internally."

The biggest difference voters would experience would be the requirement to register by a deadline before the day of a vote.  "The day of the vote there will be a log book," said board member Mike Cheatham.  "We'll sign in.  Voters should be prepared to prove that they are who they say they are."

State Law does not allow voters to register and vote on the same day, so voters who are used to just showing up and voting might find themselves turned away if they have not registered first.  But Grimm noted that if you are already registered to vote in other elections in Tompkins County you are automatically registered to vote in school district elections provided you have lived within the district for at least 30 days, are a United States citizen, and are 18 or more years old.  There are 4800 registered voters currently in the Lansing school district.  1400 typically vote in school elections.

Grimm said his biggest concern was community education, making sure that every voter understands that they must be registered if they are to be allowed to vote.  The board plans to include instructions and deadlines for registering in the district bulletin.  And while board members affirmed that all eligible voters get the bulletin in the mail, board member Sandi Dhimitri expressed a concern that they might not read it or understand the new requirement.  "That seems huge to me," she said.  "To make sure we don't end up with a slew of people who always voted by showing up on that day having to suddenly be turned away."

School Board Members (Left to right) David Dittman, Anne Drake, President Tom Keane, Superintendent of Schools Stephen Grimm, Mike Cheatham, Sandi Dhimitri, Glenn Swanson, Bonita Lindberg

Board member David Dittman said that the school board's responsibility is to send the information to voters, and that it can's be responsible for insuring people read it.  Board president Tom Keane agreed.  "I am very concerned about voter disenfranchisement," Keane said.  "This could be perceived as that, but I don't think it is given how relatively easy it is to register to vote."

At the beginning of this year the board retained former Interim Superintendent Tom Helmer to work with Grimm on the new policy.  Grimm says it is more detailed than many districts' policies, but covers the concerns that arose in the last vote.  He noted that a voter registration policy would cost between $1,000 and $1,500 more than the current system does.

Implementing the program will mean following these steps:

• Notify the Board of Elections when the policy is adopted
• Send district mailer to inform people about voter registration
• Appoint members to a board of registration
• Inform the Board of Elections of the day of the vote
• Request poll books from the County Board of Elections
• Advertise times when people can register to vote

The Board of Elections delivers the official lists that voters must sign next to their name when they arrive at the polls.  "If you're not already registered you have three options," Keane said.  "One is to register with the Board of Elections, and you can do that by mail or in person.  The other option is during our open registration dates you can come register with the Lansing School District.  The third option, which is not the best one, is to register on the date of our election.  You can't vote, but you can still register on that day."

School board members will have a chance to make changes to the policy before a second reading, and then vote on whether to switch to the new system.

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