LWVS Supports Changes to Board of Election Voting Procedures

Should school election law be changed in Scarsdale so that candidates for the Board of Education run for seats at large – rather than for specific seats? Restated, this means that candidates for Scarsdale School Board would run at large, and those with the most votes would win – rather than the current system where candidates run for specific seats.

As background, in May 2018 one candidate ran unopposed while another candidate chose to target a specific seat and challenged the candidate running for that seat. To make matters even more confusing, the challenger was a current member of the school board who was running for a second term. But rather than run for her designated seat, she chose to challenge the candidate running for the other seat – making for a very confusing ballot showing her name in both columns.

See below:

This proposed change in the school election law would need to be approved by Scarsdale voters at the time of the May election for Board of Education and the school budget.

The Scarsdale Board of Education is proposing this change on the ballot and has asked for community feedback. To that end, the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale studied the issue by conferring with former members of the Board of Education, speaking with the President of the Westchester/Putnam School Board Association and surveying other districts in our area to learn what they do.

They learned that only 10% of neighboring districts have elections for specific seats –and the remaining 90% elect board members at large.

The school board election law allows districts to either elect members for specific seats or vote for members at large.

Thinking about the advantages of electing members at large, the League committee determined the following:

-Voting at large would simplify the ballot and the procedure

-Voting at large is consistent with other towns in the county

-Voting at large eliminates gamesmanship whereby an independent candidate can target the perceived weaker candidate

-Voting at large is consistent with village elections

The only argument they came up with against the proposed change is that the current procedure is consistent with the way we have always done it here in Scarsdale.

Summarizing the discussion, LWVS co-President Linda Doucette-Ashman said, “There is no right or wrong – it’s up to the community to decide.”

Another proposed change that will be on the ballot concerns voter registration for voting in the school budget vote. Under current rules, if you are registered to vote in a US election, you can vote in the school election. However, if you are not, you need to register with the school district clerk on two designated days of the year. Under this proposed change a resident could register with the school clerk at any time – not just on two designated days and the Board of Education would no longer need to designate specific registration days.

Here is the League’s consensus statement on the proposed revisions that was read at the February 11 meeting of the Scarsdale School Board.

Statement on Propositions Amending The Board of Education Policies on Candidates and Electioneering (2120.1) and Voting Procedures - Voter Registration (2120.2)

On behalf of the League of Women Voters Scarsdale, thank you for providing the opportunity for community feedback on the proposed changes to Board Policies 2120.1 and 2120.2.

The following statement reflects the consensus of members of the League of Women Voters Scarsdale at a League consensus meeting held on February 11, 2019. This statement comments on the proposed changes to Policies 2120.1 and 2120.2 of the Scarsdale School District Board of Education.

The League of Women Voters Scarsdale (the “League”) supports including the Proposition amending Policy 2120.1, entitled “Candidates and Electioneering,” on the ballot in May. The portion of this policy affected by the Proposition is whether candidates running for the Board of Education (the “Board”) run for a specific seat or whether candidates run at large. The League recommends that the community vote in support of a Proposition that changes our current system to an at-large system.

The League notes, most importantly, that in practice, Board members currently do serve at large and are elected to represent the interests of the entire community. The League also notes that the change to an at-large system may simplify the ballot in the event of a contested election and reduce the likelihood of voter confusion. Prior to the vote in May, the League encourages the Board to convey and publicize information to the community regarding this Proposition.

After outreach to all of the school districts in Westchester County, gathering information from a majority of those districts, and in correspondence with the executive director of the Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association, the League learned that approximately 90% of public school districts in Westchester and Putnam Counties currently have an at-large system for nomination and election to the Board of Education. As part of the League’s study, in addition to the aforementioned outreach and correspondence, we also reviewed New York State Education Law and policies of the New York School Boards Association, spoke with former Scarsdale School Board members, and spoke with the Deputy Council for the New York State Board of Elections.

The League also supports including the Proposition to Policy 2120.2, entitled “Voting Procedures,” on the ballot in May. The League recommends that the community vote in support of this Proposition to expand voter registration times.

The League recommends that in the Proposition, the Board clarify that the District Clerk referenced is located at the School District Offices, in order to differentiate from the Village Clerk. The League recommends that the Board publicly clarify which elections are covered by registration for school elections, as well as clarify to all community members that one does not need to register to vote in the school election if one is already registered to vote in the general election through the New York State Board of Elections. The League further recommends that, in the Proposition, the Board clarify the exact days and times of voter registration throughout the year including whether or not there is a cut-off date for registration for the school elections.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Leah Dembitzer, School Budget Study Portfolio Chair, LWVS
Linda Doucette-Ashman, Co-President, LWVS
Janice Starr, Co-President LWVS

Footnotes
1. The League notes that the Proposition language is still in draft form as discussed at the Board of Education meeting on February 4, 2019.
2. New York Education Law § 2018[b]. The League notes that School Board elections were run with a specific seat nomination system per New York Education Law. However, the next section of the law allows communities to change to an “at large” ballot if the voters so choose.
3. In correspondence with Lisa Davis, Executive Director of WPSBA, the League learned that approximately 10% of districts in Westchester-Putnam have a specific seat nomination process.