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Tomorrow Is Election Day

School board seats, a library board seat, and the school budget are on the May 19 ballot.

call-to-vote

Quick reminder: tomorrow is Election Day for the School and Library Board here in Mount Vernon. These are non-partisan elections. Everybody registered to vote can vote.

 

 

To quote the American political scientist Larry J. Sabato:

“Every election is determined by the people who show up.”

 

So get your tush off the couch and vote. Bring a neighbor. Bring a friend.

On the ballot:

  • Three School Board seats
  • The school budget (which includes a proposed 2% property tax increase)
  • One Library Board seat

Why should you vote?

Because it is the right thing to do. Without people showing up, we cannot have a functioning democracy or functioning institutions. People have fought hard for your right to vote. Exercise it.

Beyond that:

  • The school board oversees the school district that educates Mount Vernon’s children.
  • The library board oversees the Mount Vernon Public Library, one of the few civic spaces left in our community.
  • Both institutions are spending your tax dollars, whether you rent or own. The school budget alone is roughly two-thirds of your property tax bill.

Here are the candidates

Mount Vernon School Board

  • John Woodbury
  • Keith Chisolm
  • Gwendolyn Janelle Albritton
  • Warren Mitchell
  • Lynne Middleton
  • Carleen Evans
  • Steven Vazquez

Mount Vernon Library Board

  • Jonathan M. Davis
  • Hope Marable
  • Faith A. Walters

If you want to learn more about the candidates, there were public forums for both:

School board candidate forum

Library board candidate forum

Your vote really counts here

Voter participation in school and library board elections is historically very low. The library board election hovers around 3%, and the school board election runs about 6 to 8%.

In a race that small, your vote really counts.

MVCIP is a non-profit organization and does not support or endorse individual candidates.

Regardless of who or what you support, please take a few minutes tomorrow to vote. Encourage your neighbors, friends, and family to do the same.

Polling station: You should have received a card in the mail, usually your neighborhood school. We were told all Mount Vernon residents can also vote at City Hall.