Low voter turnout results in upset election results for SJSD

Low voter turnout results in upset election results for SJSD

The vote, there had been a lot of social media talk about the bond.

But when it came time to vote, turnout was low.

The county clerk's office reports less tha county clerk reports less than 30% of voters actually went to the polls yesterday.

Here's kq2's kilee thomas on the impact of the low turnout.

Kilee thomas reportingáballot natsá13,000 voters have decided the fate of the st joseph school district "it's not majority rule, it's rule by the majority who chooses to make themselves heard."

Out of the some 50,000 registered buchanan county voters- only 27% hit the polls tuesday to cast their vote on two major local issues contentious $107 million school bond which would consolidated the high school system down to two high schools and three open seats for the board of education.

Opposers to the bond southsiders...showing up in full swing to the polls "everybody on southend wants to keep our schools."

And the majority registered voters who didn't cast a ballot...have to live with what the minority wants.

"you have a very active group of voters.

The 25-35% that we always see and if you don't make them happy, you're not going to get something passed.

So, we're really held hostage by a small group of people until everybody else decides that it's important enough to get out and vote for these issues."

The result landslide no vote on the bond issue and three board incumbents losing their seats.

Results that just a few hundred votes could change.

"yeah, i'm a little taken aback by how low the voter turnout was."

"people have a lot of things going on in their lives, but hopefully they would take a couple of minutes to come by and share their opinion on something as important as education.

The fact that more didn't, i don't know exactly what that says."

Local political scientists say the few speaking for the majority is problematic and stems to a deeper issue growing disregard for civic duty really disturbing, right?

Because we do now have minority rule in buchanan county."

"i think a lot of it is that people are very frustrated with the government right now.

They're incredibly frustrated.

It's become highly polarized, highly politicized and incredibly negative so i think it turns a lot of people off."

Board members say until more people show up to the polls-until more people want to put education first-the district will be stuck in reverse.

"we have a lot of work to do as a community to get all of us on the same page and realize that we have to invest in the school system."

Reporting in st joseph kilee thomas kq2 news taking a look back at past bond initiatives for the st joseph school district.

In 2017- there was a 38% voter turnout for a school levy that failed by a landslide.

In 2019- it was a 26% turnout where voters passed a school levy 64% to 36%.