Glenwood ISL Vote A Dead Heat
It will certainly go down as one of the most unusual election outcomes in the history of the Glenwood Community School District.
After a mechanical error with a ballot-counting machine forced a recount late Tuesday night, the vote on a 10-year Instructional Support Levy (ISL) for the Glenwood Community School District has ended in a dead heat – 434 "Yes" votes and 434 "No" Votes.
If the tie holds up, the ISL has failed because a majority of "Yes" votes, at least 435 in this case, were needed for passage.
An initial count of ballots after Tuesday’s election showed the levy passing by a count of 430-426. The recount took place after election workers determined 12 ballots did not get counted as a result of a malfunction with the electronic ballot counter.
In yet another twist to the story, Mills County Auditor Carol Robertson confirmed that one absentee ballot is still outstanding in the community. A "Yes" vote on that ballot could mean passage for the levy, but it would have to arrive in the mail at the auditor’s office with a postmark of Feb. 2 or earlier. The outstanding ballot would also have to be received prior to the canvassing of election results at the Feb. 10 meeting of the Mills County Board of Supervisors.
Robertson said Tuesday’s mechanical malfunction was likely caused by a "jam" as ballots were passing through the machine.
After the discrepancy between the number of ballots cast (468) and the number of ballots actually counted (456) was discovered, the machine’s memory card was cleared and the ballots were placed back into the machine for a recount, Robertson said.
Glenwood Community School District Superintendent Dr. Stan Sibley was at the auditor’s office when the initial results were announced. He left the county courthouse believing the levy had passed, but was notified of the turn of events moments later.
"It’s very difficult," Sibley said. "All I can say is that I’m deeply disappointed and obviously very sad for the community as a whole, but especially for the kids.
"It’s pretty sobering, recognizing that our kids don’t have a level playing field. Without resources, we just aren’t going to continue to compete with districts that place priorities in the classroom."
Sibley said despite Tuesday’s apparent setback, school district employees will continue to be committed to providing the best possible education for the children of the school district.
"We’ll continue to be resourceful and we’ll continue to give 100 percent," Sibley said. "We recognize that it’s the peoples’ school. It’s their kids, their money and their school."