Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, July 24, 2008
Don’t let students vote on schools
If we look back to the November 2004 school referendum, we might remember that it was also a presidential election. All college students in La Crosse were allowed to vote for the next president, as appropriately allowed by law, but they were also able to vote on the school referendum because of the ballot format, even if they lived elsewhere and had never in their lives paid a property tax. The referendum failed by a small amount, giving hope to the school board, but if you discounted the votes in the UW-L and Viterbo areas, it was a much more dramatic loss.
I suggest we not let transitory college students have a say in how we run our school district, and that a system be employed to deny them a vote in which they might be given representation without taxation. Sort of the opposite of our American Revolution.
Because of the popularity of the current Democratic candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, among the youth, I predict that college students in La Crosse will vote in even greater numbers than in 2004, and I also predict they will vote for whatever school referendums are proposed, if also on the ballot.
I suggest that the ballots in the La Crosse School District be divided, just as they are in city and county board contests, such that if you can’t show a permanent address in the La Crosse School District, you shouldn’t be allowed to vote on a La Crosse school referendum.
All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 La Crosse Tribune and other attributed sources.