Whistleblower » Blog Archive » Wrong ballot means no chance to vote on school referendum

Wrong ballot means no chance to vote on school referendum

Posted on November 4th, 2008 – 2:32 PM
By James Shiffer

We’re checking into an apparent mixup of ballots that affect school referenda in the northwest suburbs. Kristi Santelman reports that she got the wrong ballot at her precinct, Providence Academy, in Plymouth. Here is her account:

After I finished, I realized that I was given the wrong ballot. There are 3 school districts in my precinct so there are 3 different ballots. I live in the Robbinsdale District, but the Referendum was not on my ballot.

At the suggestion of the School District, I contact the Plymouth City Clerk. She told me she’d call the precinct to remind them about the different school districts. When I expressed concern that my vote didn’t count, she said that I was the second person it had happened to today and that was “pretty good” for one morning.

I have filed an official complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 2:32 pm and is filed under Election Day, Polling problems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

19 Responses to “Wrong ballot means no chance to vote on school referendum”

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dist 281 parent Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Oh great. After the defeat last year, I imagine the odds aren’t good it will pass this year. We don’t need these kinds of screw ups in the process. Pay attention people!
Julie Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
With local voting the results could be determined by just a handful of votes (or even just one). I hope if these referenda are passed or not passed by a vote or two, they have a new vote. This is what it’s like in my precinct too. If I have to vote for just school board or a referendum, I have to go to a totally different polling place. If it’s a mixed ballot, I get a different ballot. How many people don’t even know it when they get the wrong ballot?
Armstrong '99 Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
This has been going on in and around Plymouth’s section of District 281 for years. I grew up four houses away from the border between the Robbinsdale and Osseo school districts, with my family’s house squarely on the Robbinsdale side (my neighbor’s kitchen was in Dist. 279; the living room in 281). When my parents when to vote on a Dist. 281 bond ref in 1989, the voting judges (at Plymouth United Methodist, across from Zachary Lane Elementary) insisted for a good 20 minutes that we all lived in 279. Nice to know they’ve progressed in the past 19 years.
Matt Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Why not just create precincts which align with school district boundaries?
Bob Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I don’t get it… she didn’t get the right ballot but didn’t say anything to the poll workers and voted it anyway? How is that the normal response to not getting the right ballot? I know if I was expecting to vote on a school levy and didn’t get to I would raise the issue immediately, not vote the wrong ballot and then go home and complain after it is too late.
joanne prillaman Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I was at Providence Academy and voting early this morning. The election judges gave very clear instructions about the correct ballots for either the Robbinsdale district or the Wayzata district.
Voters must pay attention to what they need to do and be responsible. Election judges volunteer and work a long day, starting at 5:30 am and go until after the polls close?
Chris Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
The Plymouth City Clerk should be fired. What a terrible response. How many should have voted on the referendum but didn’t notice the ballot problem, let alone call in? That she claimed it was not a big deal because she only got two calls is criminally negligent. I would think they’d have to redo the referendum as the results are clearly invalidated. I hope Strib does look into this in more detail. FYI, I live in the district, voted at Laestidian Church (just E of Providence station) and the issue was on my ballot.
Kristi Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Bob, you are right. I should have noticed right away. I didn’t realize that the referendum wasn’t on my ballot until I drove away.
The sample ballots are online and when I confirmed my ballot was not correct, I raised the issue.
Bob Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
There’s nothing she could do about it. What do you want her to do? Let her vote again? She said she would call the polling place, which is as much as she can do. But she should be fired for that.
ebendy Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I voted at the same place.. I live in the wayzata school district.. the robbinsdale stuff was on my ballot.