Voter Turnout

Remains Too Low

To the Editor:

Sandy Hook School PTA voted unanimously to support the original budget as presented and accepted by the Legislative Council. Unfortunately, that action was defeated by the voters on April 24 by 75 votes. We are disappointed that after considerable effort to get out the vote, only 22 percent of the eligible voters turned out to cast their ballots. Sandy Hook (along with the other town PTAs) spent a considerable amount of time and money to build awareness and understanding about the budget.

We collaborated on articles in The Bee in order to raise awareness, placed an ad in The Bee to remind eligible voters to cast their ballots, posted signs at all of the schools, paid for reminder calls to our parents, paid for an information brochure sent to 3,000 households, and when appropriate, used our school newsletters to keep parents informed of the issues.

All that effort resulted in no net increase in the number of voters who went to the polls on the 24th!

Our research shows that the federal and state elections generate more participation — 68 percent of the voters turned out in the last general election. Ironically, individual voters can make the most significant impact in what happens to the town during local referendum votes and local elections. Voting No or abstaining from voting will not impact the future of the town hall — it will only impact the quality and the level of services that we receive. We need all parents to come vote to support the schools and the many services that the town provides.

With the additional reductions made last week to the proposed budget, the overall increase is now about 4.95 percent. Please come out on May 8 to show your support for this budget.

Mary Ann Jacob

Kathy Fetchick

Sandy Hook School PTA

65 Mohawk Trail, Sandy Hook                                           May 2, 2007