School board race, tax issues among ballot items
According to the latest Greene County rolls, there are an estimated 147,732 registered voters eligible to cast a ballot in the Springfield school board race.
If history repeats itself, only a fraction of local citizens will exercise that right by the time the polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller predicts a final turnout of 14% to 16%.
He zeroed in on that range based on turnout for the April elections in 2021 and 2022. Both years, there were hotly contested school board races but no school-related pocketbook issue on the ballot.
Turnout hovered near or just above 17% for the April elections in 2019 and 2023, when voters also decided the fate of large bond issues for Springfield Public Schools.
Both were approved by voters but last year’s request for $220 million, the largest bond ever in Springfield, received overwhelming support. A “no tax increase” proposal, it added to the district’s debt level but did not alter the tax bills of property owners.
Schoeller said heightened interest in this year’s race — with seven candidates vying for three open seats — may drive that up, slightly.
“I think we’re right in that range, between 14-16% but based upon what I’ve seen, there has been a lot of activity, especially in the SPS school board race,” he said Tuesday. “So, I anticipate that could bump up the percentage some, more than there has been in the past.”
The school board race is not the only thing on the Springfield ballot.
Springfield voters will also be asked to vote on two proposed amendments to the Springfield City Charter.